Gonna drop in here and say that a hatchet and axe are two different types of weapons that are similar but completely different. As far as wood cutting, an axe is much larger and has a flat back while a hatchet has a hammer head on the back. As far as weaponry, an axe is two handed while a hatchet is one handed. A hatchet may have come from the old Germanic word meaning axe, but it is definitely not an axe. Lol.