I. ˈhyü verb
( hewed ; hewed or hewn ; hewing ; hews )
Etymology: Middle English hewen, from Old English hēawan; akin to Old High German houwan to hew, Old Norse höggva to hew, Latin cudere to beat, Tocharian (A) kot to split
transitive verb
1. : to cut with hard or rough blows of a heavy cutting instrument (as an ax, broadsword, or large chisel)
the miners who hew out the coal — G.B.Shaw
2. : to fell (as a tree) by blows of an ax : cut down
3. : to shape, form, create, or bring into being with or as if with hard rough blows or efforts
my own grandparents hewed their farms from the wilderness — J.T.Shotwell
hew out a rock tomb
intransitive verb
1. : to make rough heavy cutting blows (as with an ax)
2. : adhere , conform , stick
each of his … masterpieces hews to its stanza form with meticulous accuracy — Clement Wood
if he is elected … he will hew to the constitutional law — New York Times
avoiding sentimentality by hewing doggedly to domestic realism — Roger Pippett
— often used in the phrase hew to the line
I learned in a hard school and I know the importance of hewing to the line — Archie Binns
Synonyms: see cut
II.
now chiefly dialect
variant of hue