Lathe (?), n. [OE. lathe a granary; akin to G. lade a chest, Icel. hlaða a storehouse, barn; but cf. also Icel. löð a smith's lathe. Senses 2 and 3 are perh. of the same origin as lathe a granary, the original meaning being, a frame to hold something. If so, the word is from an older form of E. lade to load. See Lade to load.] 1. A granary; a barn. Chaucer.
2. (Mach.) A machine for turning, that is, for shaping articles of wood, metal, or other material, by causing them to revolve while acted upon by a cutting tool.
3. The movable swing frame of a loom, carrying the reed for separating the warp threads and beating up the weft; — called also lay and batten.
Blanchard lathe, a lathe for turning irregular forms after a given pattern, as lasts, gunstocks, and the like. — Drill lathe, orSpeed lathe, a small lathe which, from its high speed, is adapted for drilling; a hand lathe. — Engine lathe, a turning lathe in which the cutting tool has an automatic feed; — used chiefly for turning and boring metals, cutting screws, etc. — Foot lathe, a lathe which is driven by a treadle worked by the foot. — Geometric lathe. See under Geometric — Hand lathe, a lathe operated by hand; a power turning lathe without an automatic feed for the tool. — Slide lathe, an engine lathe. — Throw lathe, a small lathe worked by one hand, while the cutting tool is held in the other.