fettle
Use Fettle in a sentence
l noun
1.
state; condition: in fine fettle.
verb (used with object)
2.
Ceramics. to remove mold marks from (a cast piece).
3.
Metallurgy.
a.
to remove sand from (a casting).
b.
to repair the hearth of (an open-hearth furnace).
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English fetle to shape, prepare, back formation from fetled, Old English *fetelede girded up, equivalent to fetel belt + -ede -ed2
1300–50; Middle English fetle to shape, prepare, back formation from fetled, Old English *fetelede girded up, equivalent to fetel belt + -ede -ed2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To fettle
Collins
World English Dictionary
fettle (ˈfɛtəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to remove (excess moulding material and casting irregularities) from a cast component |
| 2. | to line or repair (the walls of a furnace) |
| 3. | dialect (Brit) |
| a. to prepare or arrange (a thing, oneself, etc), esp to put a finishing touch to | |
| b. to repair or mend (something) | |
| —n | |
| 4. | state of health, spirits, etc (esp in the phrase in fine fettle) |
| 5. | another name for fettling |
| [C14 (in the sense: to put in order): back formation from fetled girded up, from Old English fetel belt] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Fettle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
| to bark; yelp. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
fettle
"condition, state, trim," c.1750, from v. sense "to make ready, arrange" (14c.), from O.E. fetel "a girdle, belt," from P.Gmc. *fatiloz (cf. Ger. fessel, O.N. fetill), from *fat- "to hold."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
fettle fet·tle (fět'l)
n.
Proper or sound condition.
Mental or emotional state; spirits.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Asked about his health, he replied that he was in excellent fettle.
And of course, advanced veterinary practice kept your pirate parrots in fine fettle.
Both the stallion and his famous sister are sound and apparently in fine fettle.
He has no immediate challenger on the left, and the economy is in fine fettle.
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