RAZOR
What does "RAZOR" mean?
A sharp-bladed instrument used to shave hair from the skin.
Meanings
- A tool with a keen blade for shaving or cutting hair. He nicked his chin with the razor while hurrying to work.
- A principle that strips away unnecessary assumptions in reasoning, as in Occam's razor. By Occam's razor, the simplest explanation that fits the facts is usually best. technical
- To cut, shave, or shape with or as if with a razor. The stylist razored the ends to give the cut more movement.
Did you know?
- Philosophers call rules of thumb that trim away unneeded assumptions 'razors' - Occam's razor, named for the 14th-century friar William of Ockham, is the most famous, but Hanlon's and Hitchens's razors follow the same cutting metaphor.
Word origin
From Old French 'rasor', from 'raser' (to scrape or shave), from Latin 'radere' (to scrape); the philosophical sense uses 'razor' figuratively for a principle that cuts away the superfluous.
Remember it
A RAZOR 'RAZ'es (razes) hair to the ground - same idea as razing a building flat.
A little poem
One bright edge passing-
the morning falls away clean,
a face made of light.
haiku
Wordplay
- The philosopher and the barber both swore by the razor - one to cut hairs, the other to split them.
What it teaches
Whether on a chin or in an argument, the sharpest tool is the one that removes what you do not need.
Quick facts
What does RAZOR mean?
A sharp-bladed instrument used to shave hair from the skin.
Is RAZOR a valid word?
Yes — RAZOR is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is RAZOR?
RAZOR has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does RAZOR come from?
From Old French 'rasor', from 'raser' (to scrape or shave), from Latin 'radere' (to scrape); the philosophical sense uses 'razor' figuratively for a principle that cuts away the superfluous.
What can RAZOR teach us?
Whether on a chin or in an argument, the sharpest tool is the one that removes what you do not need.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.