tool

a tool, aid, instrument, auxiliary device

nl-noun

tool m (plural tools, diminutive tooltje n)

tools (plural)
tooltje (diminutive neuter)


tool

Hand me that tool, would you?

I don't have the right tools to start fiddling around with the engine.

en:mechanical device intended to make a task easier

Any mechanical device meant to ease or do a task.

These are the tools of the trade.

Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.

2012 March 14, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 2013-02-19, page 106:

Any piece of equipment used in a profession, e.g. a craftman's tools.

What was the need of a man to do that? "One stick at a time;" if Ned could not do that, he was a poor tool. Ah, a poor tool he proved to be.

1867, The Masonic Trowel, volume 6, page 44:

Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus.[…]A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that. Developed as a tool to electronically combine the sharpest bits of multiple digital images, focus stacking is a boon to biologists seeking full focus on a micron scale.

2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist, archived from the original on 2017-05-11:

Something to perform an operation; an instrument; a means.

The software engineer had been developing lots of EDA tools.

a tool for recovering deleted files from a disk

(computing) A piece of software used to develop software or hardware, or to perform low-level operations.

He was a tool, no more than a pawn to her.

A person or group which is used or controlled, usually unwittingly, by another person or group.

a five-tool player

When asked what he liked about Youk [Kevin Youkilis], former Boston scout Matt Haas says, "At first glance, not a lot." (Mind you, this is one of the few scouts who actually wanted the kid.) "He was unorthodox," says Haas, who now scouts for the Arizona Diamondbacks. "He had an extreme crouch—his thighs were almost parallel to the ground. And he was heavier than he is now. But the more I watched him, the more I just thought, Throw the tools out the window. This guy can play baseball."

2007 November 7, Mark Bechtel, “"there's Something Fun About Yooouuuk"”, in Sports Illustrated, archived from the original on 2008-10-14:

(baseball) A particular skill pertaining to baseball (such as hitting, running, etc.).

Or haue wee some strange Indian with the great Toole, come to Court, the women so besiege vs?

1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv], page 231:

She wanna hang with the goons
She wanna party midnight till noon
She wanna play with my tool

2019 January 2, Burna Bandz (lyrics and music), “Goons” (track 13), in Compact Burna:

(vulgar, informal) A penis, notably with a sexual or erotic connotation.

He won't sell us tickets because it's 3:01, and they went off sale at 3. That guy's such a tool.

(by extension, vulgar, slang, derogatory) An obnoxious or uptight person.

In my city keep a tool
Lil nigga you know the rules

(slang, Canada, US, MTE, MLE, and possibly wider) A gun.

instrument

person or group used or controlled by another

From Middle English tool, tol, from Old English tōl (“tool, implement, instrument”, literally “that with which one prepares something”), perhaps borrowed from Old Norse tól, but at any rate ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tōlą (“that which is used in preparation, tool”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- (“to tie to, secure”), equivalent to taw (“to prepare”) + -le (agent suffix). Cognate with Scots tuil (“tool, implement, instrument, device”), Icelandic tól (“tool”), Faroese tól (“tool, instrument”). Related to Old English tāwian (“to make, prepare, or cultivate”); see taw, and tow ("fibres used for spinning").


tool

(transitive) To work on or shape with tools, e.g., hand-tooled leather.

Do this lab and read this book, now tool, one and all,
And be sure and pass that final quiz or be screwed right to the wall.

1965, Matt Fichtenbaum, Dan Murphy, “The Institute Screw”, in The Broadside of Boston, volume III, number 22:

Dude, he's not your friend. He's just tooling you.

(transitive, slang) To put down another person (possibly in a subtle, hidden way), and in that way to use him or her to meet a goal.

(transitive, volleyball) To intentionally attack the ball so that it deflects off a blocker out of bounds.

(transitive, UK, slang, dated) To drive (a coach or other vehicle).

1850s, Cuthbert M. Bede, The Adventures of Mr. Verdant Green
Among those who seemed disposed to join in this opinion was the Jehu of the Warwickshire coach, who expressed his conviction to our hero, that "he wos a young gent as had much himproved hisself since he tooled him up to the Warsity with his guvnor."

(transitive, UK, slang, dated) To carry or convey in a coach or other vehicle.

March 8, 1890, Byron P. Stephenson, "My Trip to Brazil", in Illustrated American
boys on their bicycles tooling along the well-kept roads

These are the guys that tool around in Mercedes Sprinter vans with equipment lockers stuffed with everything from riot helmets to tasers.

2011, Ben Aaronovitch, Rivers of London, Gollancz, published 2011, page 324:

(intransitive, slang) To travel in a vehicle; to ride or drive.

en-verb

tool (third-person singular simple present tools, present participle tooling, simple past and past participle tooled)

tools (present singular third-person)
tooling (participle present)
tooled (participle past)
tooled (past)

экипи́ровать impf or pfобору́довать


tool

Siis läks kogu ta vallasvara oksjonile ning mõni siiasiginenud tool, laud, voodi, kapp ja sööginõud olid nüüd seaduslikult naise-ema omad.

1968, Peet Vallak, Tuuled ümber maja: Novellivalimik, page 200:

Then all his personal property was put up for auction and any chair, table, bed, or dishes he had taken possession now belonged legitimately to his mother-in-law.

A seat with four legs and a backrest for one person.

tooli (genitive)
tooli (partitive)
tool (nominative singular)
toolid (nominative plural)
tool (accusative nominative singular)
toolid (accusative nominative plural)
tooli (accusative genitive singular)
toolid (accusative genitive plural)
tooli (genitive singular)
toolide (genitive plural)
tooli (partitive singular)
toole (partitive plural)
toolisid (partitive plural)
tooli (illative singular)
toolisse (illative singular)
toolidesse (illative plural)
toolesse (illative plural)
toolis (inessive singular)
toolides (inessive plural)
tooles (inessive plural)
toolist (elative singular)
toolidest (elative plural)
toolest (elative plural)
toolile (allative singular)
toolidele (allative plural)
toolele (allative plural)
toolil (adessive singular)
toolidel (adessive plural)
toolel (adessive plural)
toolilt (ablative singular)
toolidelt (ablative plural)
toolelt (ablative plural)
tooliks (singular translative)
toolideks (plural translative)
tooleks (plural translative)
toolini (singular terminative)
toolideni (plural terminative)
toolina (essive singular)
toolidena (essive plural)
toolita (abessive singular)
toolideta (abessive plural)
tooliga (comitative singular)
toolidega (comitative plural)

From Middle Low German stôl, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *stōlaz.


tool

(rare) A device used for torturing or interrogration.

English: tool

Scots: tuil

From Old English tōl, from Proto-Germanic *tōlą.