Nearby Words
Ralph Lauren Towels www.ralphlauren.com Shop the Official Site For Ralph Lauren Towels and More for the Home
Ralph Lauren at Macy's www.macys.com/RalphLauren Shop Ralph Lauren Bedding at Macy's Free Shipping w/$99 Order Today!
Bath Towels www.kohls.com/BathTowels Find Bathroom Towels at Low Prices. Shop a Great Selection at Kohl's!
Ads
noun
1.
an absorbent cloth or paper for wiping and drying something wet, as one for the hands, face, or body after washing or bathing.
verb (used with object)
2.
to wipe or dry with a towel.
:10
:09
:08
:07
:06
:05
:04
:03
:02
:01
Towel
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
3.
throw in the towel, Informal. to concede defeat; give up; yield: He vowed he would never throw in the towel.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English (noun) < Old French toaille cloth for washing or wiping < West Germanic *thwahliō (> Old High German dwahilla, akin to dwahal bath); cognate with Gothic thwahl, thwēal washing
1250–1300; Middle English (noun) < Old French toaille cloth for washing or wiping < West Germanic *thwahliō (> Old High German dwahilla, akin to dwahal bath); cognate with Gothic thwahl, thwēal washing
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To towel
Collins
World English Dictionary
| towel (ˈtaʊəl) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a square or rectangular piece of absorbent cloth or paper used for drying the body |
| 2. | a similar piece of cloth used for drying plates, cutlery, etc |
| 3. | throw in the towel See throw in |
| —vb (often foll by up) , -els, -elling, -elled, -els, -eling, -eled | |
| 4. | to dry or wipe with a towel |
| 5. | slang (Austral) to assault or beat (a person) |
| [C13: from Old French toaille, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German dwahal bath, Old Saxon twahila towel, Gothic thwahan to wash] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
towel
1284, from O.Fr. toaille (12c.), from Frank. *thwahlja, from P.Gmc. *thwakhlijon (cf. O.S. thwahila, M.Du. dwale "towel," Du. dwaal "altar cloth," O.H.G. dwehila "towel," Ger. dial. Zwehle "napkin"); related to Ger. zwagen, O.E. þwean "to wash." Sp. toalla, It. tovaglia are Gmc. loan-words. The
EXPANDverb is first recorded 1836. Towelette is recorded from 1902.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com
Idioms & Phrases
Matching Quote
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.