Meanings
nouncounterbore (plural counterbores)
plural counterbores
- The cutter used to cut such a recess. (Also used, at less depth, for spotfacing.)
Meronyms: flute, pilot (the land at the tip, which rides the hole as a guide), shank
verbcounterbore (third-person singular simple present counterbores, present participle counterboring, simple past and past participle counterbored)
present singular third person counterbores · participle present counterboring · participle past counterbored · past counterbored
- transitiveTo create such a cylindrical recess.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Italic*kom
- Proto-Italic*kom-
- Proto-Italic*komteros
- Proto-Italic*komterād
- Latincontrā
- Old Frenchcontre-
- Anglo-Normancountre-
- Middle Englishcounter-
- Englishcounter-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰerH-
- Proto-Germanic*burōną
- Proto-West Germanic*borōn
- Old Englishborian
- Middle Englishboren
- Englishbore
- Englishcounterbore
From counter- (“against”) + bore (“hole”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch verzinkboor
- verzinkboorrecess-machining tool
French chambrage
- chambragerecess-machining tool
Italian accecatura, svasatura
- accecaturarecess-machining tool
- svasaturarecess-machining tool
- accecatoiorecess-machining tool
Russian зенко́вка, цеко́вка
- зенко́вка (zenkóvka)recess-machining tool
- цеко́вка (cekóvka)recess-machining tool
- зе́нкер (zénker)recess-machining tool
Cite this entry
APA
counterbore. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterbore
MLA
“counterbore.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterbore. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “counterbore,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/counterbore.
Source: counterbore on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.