WEDGE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English wegge, from Old English wecg; akin to Old High German wecki ~, Lithuanian vagis Date: before 12th century a piece of a substance (as wood or iron) that tapers to a thin edge and is used for splitting wood and rocks, raising heavy bodies, or for tightening by being driven into something, 2. something (as a policy) causing a breach or separation, something used to initiate an action or development, something ~-shaped: as, an array of troops or tanks in the form of a ~, the ~-shaped stroke in cuneiform characters, a shoe having a heel extending from the back of the shoe to the front of the shank and a tread formed by an extension of the sole, an iron golf club with a broad low-angled face for maximum loft, a golf shot made with a ~, II. verb (~d; wedging) Date: 15th century transitive verb to fasten or tighten by driving in a ~, 2. to force or press (something) into a narrow space ; cram , to force (one's way) into or through , to separate or force apart with or as if with a ~, intransitive verb to become ~d