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tile

 - 3 dictionary results

tile

[tahyl] ,noun, verb, tiled, til⋅ing.
–noun
1. a thin slab or bent piece of baked clay, sometimes painted or glazed, used for various purposes, as to form one of the units of a roof covering, floor, or revetment.
2. any of various similar slabs or pieces, as of linoleum, stone, rubber, or metal.
3. tiles collectively.
4. a pottery tube or pipe used for draining land.
5. Also called hollow tile. any of various hollow or cellular units of burnt clay or other materials, as gypsum or cinder concrete, for building walls, partitions, floors, and roofs, or for fireproofing steelwork or the like.
6. Informal. a stiff hat or high silk hat.
–verb (used with object)
7. to cover with or as with tiles.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE tīgele (c. G Ziegel) < L tēgula


tilelike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tile   (tīl)   
n.  
  1. A thin, flat or convex slab of hard material such as baked clay or plastic, laid in rows to cover walls, floors, and roofs.

  2. A short length of pipe made of clay or concrete, used in sewers and drains.

  3. A hollow fired clay or concrete block used for building walls.

  4. Tiles considered as a group.

  5. Games A marked playing piece, as in mahjong.

tr.v.   tiled, til·ing, tiles
To cover or provide with tiles.

[Middle English, from Old English tigele, from Latin tēgula, from tegere, to cover; see (s)teg- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tile  (n.)
O.E. tigele "roofing shingle," from W.Gmc. *tegala (cf. O.H.G. ziagal, Ger. ziegel, Du. tegel, O.N. tigl), a borrowing from L. tegula "tile" (cf. It. tegola, Fr. tuile), from tegere "roof, to cover" (see stegosaurus). Also used in O.E. and early M.E. for "brick," before that word came into use. The verb meaning "to cover with tiles" is recorded from c.1375.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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