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DictionaryspadeDigging tool
noun / verb

spade

SPAYD/speɪd/

A flat-bladed tool for digging soil.

The spade has a flat steel blade beside the newly turned soil.

A single garden spade with a D-grip, straight wooden shaft, and broad, flat rectangular steel blade, shown fully visible beside a small patch of freshly turned soil.
Etymology
spadeOld Englishspade

Old English spadu already named the digging tool. The modern sense preserves this practical meaning, with its thick blade designed to be pressed into the ground.

In context

Civil Engineering Guru0:20
A spade in civil engineering refers to a tool that is typically used for digging and excavation work. It consists of a flat blade attached to a handle and is used to move soil
The Essential Guide to the Spade Tool in Civil Engineering

More examples

  • She spaded the vegetable bed.
  • Several spades leaned against the shed.
  • They are spading the soil.

Forms

spade · spades · spaded · spading

Similar words

shovel
Usually has a scooped blade for lifting material.
trowel
A smaller hand tool for close digging work.