secateurs

(ˈsɛkətəz; ˌsɛkəˈtɜːz)

pl n

(Tools) chiefly Brit a small pair of shears for pruning, having a pair of pivoted handles, sprung so that they are normally open, and usually a single cutting blade that closes against a flat surface

Also called: secateur

[C19: plural of French sécateur, from Latin secāre to cut]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sec•a•teurs

(ˈsɛk ə tərz, -ˌtɜrz)

n. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) Chiefly Brit.

pruning shears.

[1880–85; < French < Latin sec(āre) to cut + French -ateurs (pl.) < Latin -ātor -ator]

secateurs

clippers

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

secateurs - small pruning shears with a spring that holds the handles open and a single blade that closes against a flat surface

pruning shears - shears with strong blades used for light pruning of woody plants

plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one

Britain, Great Britain, U.K., UK, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom

Translations

cesoie

secateurs

[ˌsekəˈtɜːz] NPL → podadera fsing

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

secateurs

[ˌsɛkəˈtɜː^rz] npl → sécateur m
a pair of secateurs → un sécateur

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

secateurs

pl → Gartenschere f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

secateurs

[ˌsɛkəˈtɜːz] npl → cesoie fpl

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

pruning shears

References in periodicals archive

LEGENDARY broadcaster John Humphrys has told how he charged at a trespasser with secateurs.

sec it to them; R4 John chased off intruder with a pair of secateurs

Twenty-nine-year-old Scott Anderson earlier admitted carrying secateurs and a Swiss armystyle knife.

Repeat offender jailed for carrying weapons; COURT

And be sure to disinfect your loppers or secateurs after pruning.

ASK DIARMUID

Use secateurs to trim back shoots and avoid cutting leaves until after frosts or cut edges may turn brown.

Jobs for the week

With any tool, you need to clean the soil off it before storing, oil any moving parts regularly, and sharpen the blades of knives, shears and secateurs, so they make a clean cut every time.

Ready to spring into action; Give your tools some TLC before you put them away for the winter. Our guide shows you how to look after them - and make them last, says Hannah Stephenson

Clean the soil off it before storing, oil moving parts regularly, and sharpen the blades of knives, shears and secateurs, so they make a clean cut every time.

Prepare garden tools for the winter lay-off

Other indoor jobs include giving seed trays and pots a wash - using a bit of bleach to sterilise them - as well as cleaning and oiling gardening equipment such as secateurs, spades and forks.

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

Secateurs are essential for this, but you shouldn't be trying to cut a branch with a diameter thicker than 1cm (0.5in) with secateurs.

GETTING THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB

GIVE ME A SEC: I've been testing the new secateurs that were a Christmas present.

Glebe Cottage Diary All tooled up for the brutal task I've come to love

He said: "I've not been out with the secateurs this weekend.

High level of cleanliness; Climbers set for major tidy-up of popular Slabs

QHow should I care for my secateurs and other garden tools over the winter?

Gardening

If I am just cutting back the roses in the fall I go about it the same way as the rest of you, with heavy gloves and sharp secateurs. However, removing old and dead stems, thinning out the bush and selecting healthy growth is much more of a challenge.

How to prune roses (ouch!) when you're blind