mache
UK[ˈmɑːʃeɪ]US[mɑˈʃeɪ]
n
A large heavy knife with a broad blade, used for cutting through dense vegetation or as a weapon.
Etymology
The word 'mache' is a shortened, chiefly British English form of 'machete'. Its journey begins with the Latin 'malleus', a tool for striking. This evolved into the Spanish 'macho', referring to a hammer. The diminutive suffix '-ete' was added to create 'machete', implying a smaller, hand-held striking/cutting tool. The English borrowing 'mache' retains the core concept of a heavy blade used for forceful chopping, a logical extension from the original sense of a hammer. The truncation to 'mache' reflects a common pattern of shortening loanwords in colloquial use.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword. It is borrowed directly from the Spanish word 'machete', which itself is a diminutive form of the Old Spanish 'macho', meaning "hammer" or "sledgehammer". The ultimate origin is the Latin 'malleus', meaning "hammer".
Examples
The explorer used a mache to clear a path through the jungle undergrowth.
The tool shed contained a rusting mache next to the gardening equipment.
In some regions, the mache is a common agricultural implement for harvesting sugarcane.