Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Lathe \Lathe\, n. [AS. l[=ae][eth]. Of. uncertain origin.]
   Formerly, a part or division of a county among the
   Anglo-Saxons. At present it consists of four or five
   hundreds, and is confined to the county of Kent. [Written
   also {lath}.] --Brande & C.

Lathe \Lathe\, n. [OE. lathe a granary; akin to G. lade a chest,
   Icel. hla[eth]a a storehouse, barn; but cf. also Icel.
   l["o][eth] 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. [Obs.] --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.

Source : WordNet®

lathe
     n : machine tool for shaping metal or wood; the workpiece turns
         about a horizontal axis against a fixed tool