Razor

How to spell razor

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce razor

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does razor mean?

1. nounA bladed instrument used to shave hair from the skin.

Razor in a sentence

• He replaced the dull blade in his razor before shaving.

• The hotel bathroom provided a free toothbrush and a disposable razor.

Where does razor come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes from the Old French rasor (also spelled rasour), meaning a tool for shaving, which was built on the verb raser, 'to scrape or shave'. That French verb descends from the Latin radere, which literally meant 'to scrape, scratch, or shave away', the same root that gives us 'abrade' and 'erase'. English took the noun in during the 1200s for the sharp blade used to shave hair from the skin. The ending settled as the instrument suffix '-or' rather than the more common '-er', which is the small spelling trap, since the agent or instrument idea here follows the Latin and French pattern. The blade later lent its name to figures of speech about sharpness, as in 'razor-thin' margins and 'razor-sharp' wit.

How the word is built

• raz- (from Old French raser: to scrape or shave)
• -or (instrument suffix)