Hatchet

The term hatchet in contemporary usage refers loosely to any short-handled ax or ax-like tool, including hand axes, belt axes, camp axes, etc., with handles less than 20 inches in length.

During the 19th through 20th centuries, hatchets were categorized as distinctly separate tools from hand axes in manufacturer and retailer literature. Hand axes were not hatchets and were grouped and labeled as axes with long-handled axes, such as "boys" axes and "felling" axes. Hatchets, on the other hand, were lightweight, straight-handled, tools for use by those in the construction trades. Hatchet heads featured ax-like blades on one side but, unlike hand axes, most often also included a hammer on the other side designed for a specific application. The most common hatchet designs appear to be the carpenter hatchet, shingling/roofing hatchet and lathing/drywall hatchet. Their names vary slightly among manufactuers and retailers while maintaining the distinction between hatchet and small axes unanimously.

The term hatchet also refers to any one-handed ax-like weapon, such as tomahawks used in battle, since it is a borrowing from the French language, the diminutive form of hache, or battle-ax.