Nearby Words

utensil

[yoo-ten-suhl] Origin

u·ten·sil

[yoo-ten-suhl]
noun
1.
any of the instruments or vessels commonly used in a kitchen, dairy, etc.: eating utensils; baking utensils.
2.
any instrument, vessel, or tool serving a useful purpose: smoking utensils; fishing utensils; farming utensils.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English (collective singular): household articles < Middle French utensile < Latin ūtēnsilia, neuter plural of ūtēnsilis useful, derivative of ūtī to use


2. See tool.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Utensil is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Collins
World English Dictionary
utensil (juːˈtɛnsəl)
 
n
an implement, tool, or container for practical use: writing utensils
 
[C14 utensele, via Old French from Latin ūtēnsilia necessaries, from ūtēnsilis available for use, from ūtī to use]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

utensil
late 14c., from O.Fr. utensile "implement," from L. utensilia "materials, things for use," noun use of neut. pl. of utensilis "fit for use," from uti (see use).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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