a portable power saw with a reciprocating blade; can be used with a variety of blades depending on the application and kind of cut; generally have a plate that rides on the surface that is being cut
"The carpenter used his jigsaw to make precise curved cuts in the plywood, swapping out the blade for one suited to cutting metal later."
fine-toothed power saw with a narrow blade; used to cut curved outlines
"The carpenter used the jigsaw to carefully cut out the intricate circular pattern from the plywood sheet."
A saw with fine teeth and a narrow blade which can cut curves in wood or metal.
"The carpenter used his jigsaw to carefully cut out the intricate curve of the wooden door frame."
In plain English: A jigsaw is a puzzle made of many small, oddly shaped pieces that you have to fit together to make a complete picture.
"The children had fun putting together the colorful jigsaw puzzle in the park."
Usage: Use the noun form to refer specifically to the power tool designed for cutting intricate shapes, distinguishing it from general hand saws that cannot follow curved lines. As a verb, apply "jigsaw" only when describing the act of operating this specific machine rather than simply making irregular cuts with any blade.
To cut something using a jigsaw.
"She carefully used a jigsaw to cut out the intricate pattern from the wooden board."
In plain English: To jigsaw something means to cut it into many small pieces so they can be put back together later.
"The detective tried to jigsaw all the clues together to solve the case."
The word jigsaw is a straightforward combination of the words jig and saw. It was first used to describe a specific type of hand saw designed with a curved blade for cutting intricate patterns out of wood or other materials.