chop

Chop is a polysemous term in English that can describe action, object, or technique. It originates from the idea of cutting or prompting a quick, decisive motion, and over time it has come to denote various kinds of cuts, pieces, and methods across different activities. The word appears in culinary, woodworking, martial arts, and music contexts, among others.

In cooking, to chop means to cut food into smaller pieces with a knife or cleaver. Chopping sizes range from rough to fine, depending on the recipe. A chop can also refer to a single piece of meat, most commonly a pork chop or lamb chop.

In woodworking and kitchen work, chop can describe the action of striking or cutting downward with force. A chop saw is a power tool used for making straight crosscuts, while a hand chop refers to the motion used to sever or separate material.

In martial arts and self-defense, a chop is a strike delivered with the edge of the hand (knife-hand) or a weapon, typically performed in a downward arc.

In music and audio editing, chopping means cutting a recording into smaller segments for rearrangement or sampling. Chopped audio can be stretched, looped, or re-sequenced to create new rhythms, a technique common in hip-hop and electronic music.

Related terms include chop suey, chop shop, and chopping as a broader concept of cutting or severing.