brəl noun
1.
one of the carts used during the French revolution to convey victims to the guillotine.
2.
a farmer's cart, especially one for hauling manure, that can be tilted to discharge its load.
3.
Obsolete. a two-wheeled covered cart accompanying artillery for carrying tools, ammunition, etc.
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 tumbrel
00:10
Tumbrel
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
tumbrel or tumbril (ˈtʌmbrəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a farm cart for carrying dung, esp one that tilts backwards to deposit its load. A cart of this type was used to take condemned prisoners to the guillotine during the French Revolution |
| 2. | (formerly) a covered cart that accompanied artillery in order to carry ammunition, tools, etc |
| 3. | an obsolete word for a ducking stool |
| [C14 tumberell ducking stool, from Medieval Latin tumbrellum from Old French tumberel dump cart, from tomber to tumble, of Germanic origin] | |
| tumbril or tumbril | |
| —n | |
| [C14 tumberell ducking stool, from Medieval Latin tumbrellum from Old French tumberel dump cart, from tomber to tumble, of Germanic origin] | |
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
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tumbrel
c.1440, "two-wheeled cart," earlier an instrument of punishment of uncertain type (1223), from O.Fr. tumberel "dump cart," from tomber "(let) fall or tumble," possibly from a Gmc. source (cf. O.N. tumba "to tumble," O.H.G. tumon "to turn, reel;" see tumble). Notoriously used
to take victims to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
tumbrel
French two-wheeled dumpcart or wagon designed to be drawn by a single draft animal. Originally used to carry agricultural supplies, it was most often associated with the cartage of animal manure. It was also used, however, by artillery units to carry tools and ammunition, and during the French Revolution it gained wide celebrity as the vehicle used to bear prisoners to the guillotine.
Learn more about tumbrel with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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