Augers

/ˈɔːɡərz/ noun

Definition

Plural of auger; tools with a spiral or twisted blade used for drilling holes in wood or soil, or people who make predictions.

Etymology

Auger as a tool comes from Old English nafogar, which was reinterpreted as 'a auger' instead of 'an auger,' and naf- referred to a hub (like a wheel hub). The divining sense comes from Latin augur (soothsayer). These are two different etymology lines that merged into one word.

Kelly Says

The word 'auger' has a hilarious origin story—people misheard 'nauger' and split it as 'a auger,' and the misdivision stuck around for hundreds of years creating a whole new word!

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