To sharpen or refine; to make thin or slender; an archaic or technical term for honing or filing.
From Old French afiler, derived from Latin ad- 'to' + filāre 'to thread or spin' (related to filum 'thread'). The sense shifted from 'to thread together' to 'to sharpen by filing,' as filing tools create fine threads or lines on metal.
Metalworkers and craftspeople used 'affile' to describe sharpening tools with files—the word literally comes from the same root as 'filament' and 'file,' and both relate to creating thin, sharp lines or edges through careful scraping and honing.
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