What does bevel mean?
A bevel is a surface or edge that has been cut at an angle other than a right angle — in other words, any deliberate slant between two faces of an object. The term belongs mainly to the vocabulary of woodworking, metalworking, masonry and engineering: carpenters plane bevels onto table edges, printers set type on a slight bevel for a raised effect, and mechanics fit bevel gears whose angled teeth transmit motion between shafts meeting at an angle. As a verb, 'to bevel' means simply to shape or cut such a slanted edge, and the word also names a tool — the sliding bevel — used to mark and transfer angles. Though technical in register, 'bevel' occasionally appears in everyday contexts such as furniture design, typography and jewellery, wherever a softened or decorative slope replaces a sharp right-angled corner.
A sloping surface or edge cut at an angle other than 90 degrees; also an instrument, such as a sliding bevel, used for marking or measuring such angles.
"Each drawer front was finished with a gentle bevel around its perimeter."
In technical trades, a distinction is often made between a 'bevel' (a single angled face) and a 'mitre' (an angle cut across two adjoining pieces).
To cut, grind or shape an edge or surface so that it slopes at an angle rather than standing at right angles.
"The glasscutter carefully bevelled each mirror edge before framing them."
Regularly inflected; British English doubles the final consonant ('bevelled'), American English does not ('beveled').
Standard regular plural; used both for multiple sloped edges and for multiple angle-measuring instruments.
"The craftsman inspected the bevels on all four sides of the frame before assembly."
The word 'bevel' and 'level' are near-perfect rhymes with almost opposite meanings — one is flat, the other is anything but.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bevel
The word 'bevel' entered English in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century as a term from carpentry and joinery. Its immediate source is Old French 'baivel' or 'biveau', meaning an instrument for measuring angles, itself probably derived from the notion of drinking through a slanted vessel, related ultimately to Latin roots meaning 'to drink'. This gives 'bevel' a curious kinship with words like 'bib' and 'imbibe', all tracing back to the same ancient idea of slanting a container toward the mouth.
Related word forms
How bevel is actually used
'Bevel' is chiefly a technical term in carpentry, joinery, printing, engineering and stonemasonry. British spelling typically doubles the 'l' ('bevelled', 'bevelling'), while American usage prefers a single 'l' ('beveled', 'beveling').
Easily confused with bevel
A chamfer is a specific type of angled cut, typically at 45 degrees, whereas 'bevel' refers more generally to any sloping surface cut at an angle other than 90 degrees.
'Level' means perfectly horizontal or flat, which is essentially the opposite of a bevel, a deliberately slanted surface.