Definition of "kerf" in English

noun

1. (now rare) The act of cutting or carving something; a stroke or slice.

2. The groove or slit created by cutting or sawing something; an incision.

3. The portion or quantity (e.g. of wood, hay, turf, wool, etc.) removed or cut off in a given stroke.

   • 1991, Popular Mechanics, January issue, page 63, "Thin-kerf blades", by Rosario Capotostro Sawing with a thin-kerf blade produces a kerf that's 1/2 to 1/3 the size of a standard blade kerf.

4. The distance between diverging saw teeth.

   • 1991, Popular Mechanics, January issue, page 63, "Thin-kerf blades", by Rosario Capotostro Sawing with a thin-kerf blade produces a kerf that's 1/2 to 1/3 the size of a standard blade kerf.

5. The flattened, cut-off end of a branch or tree; a stump or sawn-off cross-section.

verb

1. To cut a piece of wood or other material with several kerfs to allow it to be bent.