1. plural of hewer; people who chop or shape wood, stone, or other materials with an axe or similar tool
2. workers who extract stone or coal from a quarry or mine by cutting and breaking it
Usage: historical or occupational

Examples

• The hewers worked all day splitting logs for the winter supply.
• Stone hewers shaped the granite blocks for the cathedral's foundation.
• Coal hewers descended into the mines before dawn each morning.
• Medieval hewers used chisels and mallets to carve decorative patterns into the stone.
• The skilled hewers could fell a large oak tree in just a few hours.
• Historical records mention hewers of wood and drawers of water as common laborers.