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ciocan

hammer /tʃoˈkan/

noun#4075 most common

Also: gavel, mallet, malleus (the hammer bone in the ear)

Example sentences

Ciocanul este pe masă.
The hammer is on the table.
Tata bate cuiul cu ciocanul.
Dad hits the nail with the hammer.
Am nevoie de un ciocan mai mic pentru reparația asta.
I need a smaller hammer for this repair.
Muncitorii loveau cu ciocanele în piatră toată ziua.
The workers were striking the stone with hammers all day.
Ciocanul judecătorului a răsunat în sala de tribunal.
The judge's gavel echoed in the courtroom.
Fără ciocanul, nicovala și scărița din urechea internă, nu am putea auzi sunetele.
Without the hammer, anvil, and stirrup in the inner ear, we could not hear sounds.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeciocanciocane
Genitiveciocanuluiciocanelor
Accusativeciocanciocane
Vocativeciocanuleciocane

Word family

ciocănito knock, to peck, to hammer
ciocănitoarewoodpecker
ciocănelsmall hammer; also the malleus bone in the ear
ciocbeak
ciocnirecollision, clash

Etymology

Ciocan is built on the root cioc, the Romanian word for a bird's beak, which is itself an onomatopoeia for a sharp knocking sound. The suffix -an turns this sound-root into a noun for a tool that delivers repeated knocks. Some scholars also link the word to a Slavic form close to Bulgarian chukan, a pestle or mallet tied to the verb chukam, to strike, though the onomatopoeic sense in Romanian is the clearer thread.

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