The word "锯掉" is formed by combining the character "锯", meaning "to saw", with "掉", which serves as a resultative complement indicating removal or completion. "锯" itself is a pictophonetic character composed of the metal radical 金, suggesting a tool, and the phonetic component 居 to approximate sound. Together, they create a verb-complement structure where "锯" denotes the action and "掉" specifies the result, literally conveying "to saw off".