cleaver

Meanings

1. A squarish, heavy knife used by butchers for hacking through bones, etc.
2. A type of clave, or rhythm stick, a concussive musical instrument used in traditional Bahamian music.
3. The act of eliminating someone or something, especially when done by someone with a history of other eliminations; a dismissal, rejection, or removal.
4. A type of oar blade with an asymmetric, mostly rectangular shape that resembles a cleaving knife.
5. A line segment that bisects the perimeter of a triangle and has one endpoint at the midpoint of one of the triangle's three sides.

1. A surname from Middle English.

Etymology

From Middle English clevere, equivalent to cleave + -er.