bevel

Etymology

From an Old French diminutive of baïf (“open-mouthed”), from baer (“to gape”), from Medieval Latin *badāre, present active infinitive of badō (“I gape, yawn, am open”), probably of imitative origin. Related to Italian badare.

noun

1. An edge that is canted, one that is not a 90-degree angle; a chamfer.
   to give a bevel to the edge of a table or a stone slab
2. An instrument consisting of two rules or arms, jointed together at one end, and opening to any angle, for adjusting the surfaces of work to the same or a given inclination; a bevel square.
   finding the length with a bevel 1832, Edward Shaw, Civil Architecture
3. (gambling) A die used for cheating, having some sides slightly rounded instead of flat.
   The different types of dice made for cheating (flat passers, bevels, cut edges, loaded dice, […] 1974, The New York Times Book Review, volume 2, page 35
   Bevels are shapes having one or more sides sandpapered so that they are slightly rounded rather than flat. 1978, John Scarne, Scarne's Guide to Casino Gambling, page 176

verb

1. (transitive) To give a canted edge to a surface; to chamfer.

adj

1. Having the slant of a bevel; slanting.
   a bevel angle
2. (obsolete, figurative) Morally distorted; not upright.