l, ˈwɪt verb (used with object)
1.
to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife.
2.
to form by whittling: to whittle a figure.
3.
to cut off (a bit).
4.
to reduce the amount of, as if by whittling; pare down; take away by degrees (usually followed by down, away, etc.): to whittle down the company's overhead; to whittle away one's inheritance.
verb (used without object)
5.
to whittle wood or the like with a knife, as in shaping something or as a mere aimless diversion: to spend an afternoon whittling.
6.
to tire oneself or another by worrying or fussing.
00:10
Whittle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
noun
7.
British Dialect. a knife, especially a large one, as a carving knife or a butcher knife.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), dialectal variant of thwitel knife, Old English thwīt(an) to cut + -el -le
1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), dialectal variant of thwitel knife, Old English thwīt(an) to cut + -el -le
Related forms
whit·tler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
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 whittle
Collins
World English Dictionary
whittle (ˈwɪtəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to cut or shave strips or pieces from (wood, a stick, etc), esp with a knife |
| 2. | (tr) to make or shape by paring or shaving |
| 3. | (tr; |
| 4. | dialect (Northern English) (intr) to complain or worry about something continually |
| —n | |
| 5. | dialect (Brit) a knife, esp a large one |
| [C16: variant of C15 thwittle large knife, from Old English thwitel, from thwītan to cut; related to Old Norse thveitr cut, thveita to beat] | |
| 'whittler | |
| —n | |
| Whittle (ˈwɪtəl) | |
| —n | |
| Sir Frank. 1907--96, English engineer, who invented the jet engine for aircraft; flew first British jet aircraft (1941) | |
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
whittle
1550s, "to cut thin shavings from (something) with a knife," from M.E. whittel "a knife" (c1400), variant of thwittle (late 14c.), from O.E. þwitan "to cut," from P.Gmc. *thwitanan (cf. O.N. þveita "to hew"). Figurative sense is attested from 1746. Related: Whittled; whittling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
Whittle  (wĭt'l) Pronunciation Key
British aeronautical engineer and inventor who developed the first aircraft engine powered by jet propulsion in 1937. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
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