bevel

From Middle English *bevel, from Anglo-Norman *baivel (whence obsolete French beauveau) a diminutive of Old French baïf (“open-mouthed”), perhaps from baer (“to gape”), from Medieval Latin *batāre (“to gape, yawn, be open”), probably of imitative origin.^[1] If so, then related to Italian badare.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛv.əl/
• Rhymes: -ɛvəl

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

bevel (plural bevels)

1. An edge that is canted, one that is not a 90-degree angle; a chamfer.

   to give a bevel to the edge of a table or a stone slab

2. An instrument consisting of two rules or arms, jointed together at one end, and opening to any angle, for adjusting the surfaces of work to the same or a given inclination; a bevel square.
   • 1832, Edward Shaw, Civil Architecture:

     finding the length with a bevel

3. (gambling) A die used for cheating, having some sides slightly rounded instead of flat.
   • 1974, The New York Times Book Review, volume 2, page 35:

     The different types of dice made for cheating (flat passers, bevels, cut edges, loaded dice, […]

   • 1978, John Scarne, Scarne's Guide to Casino Gambling, page 176:

     Bevels are shapes having one or more sides sandpapered so that they are slightly rounded rather than flat.

bevel (third-person singular simple present bevels, present participle (UK) bevelling or (US) beveling, simple past and past participle (UK) bevelled or (US) beveled)

1. (transitive) To give a canted edge to a surface; to chamfer.

bevel (comparative more bevel, superlative most bevel)

1. Having the slant of a bevel; slanting.

   a bevel angle

2. (obsolete, figurative) Morally distorted; not upright.
   • 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 121”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

     I may be straight, though they themselves be bevel.

• BLEVE, bleve

From Middle Dutch beveel. Equivalent to a deverbal from bevelen.

Compare German Befehl.

• IPA^(key): /bəˈvɛl/, [-vɛɫ], [-fɛɫ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: be‧vel
• Rhymes: -ɛl

bevel n (plural bevelen, diminutive bevelletje n)

1. order, command

• Negerhollands: befeel

• bleve