trow·el

[trou-uhl] noun, verb, trow·eled, trow·el·ing or (especially British) trow·elled, trow·el·ling.
noun
1.
any of various tools having a flat blade with a handle, used for depositing and working mortar, plaster, etc.
2.
a similar tool with a curved, scooplike blade, used in gardening for taking up plants, turning up earth, etc.
verb (used with object)
3.
to apply, shape, smooth, or dig with or as if with a trowel.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English < Old French truelle < Late Latin truella, equivalent to Latin tru(a) ladle + -ella -elle

trow·el·er; especially British, trow·el·ler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Trowel is one of our favorite verbs.
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to spend time idly; loaf.
to bark; yelp.
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World English Dictionary
trowel (ˈtraʊəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  any of various small hand tools having a flat metal blade attached to a handle, used for scooping or spreading plaster or similar materials
2.  a similar tool with a curved blade used by gardeners for lifting plants, etc
 
vb , -els, -elling, -elled, -els, -eling, -eled
3.  (tr) to use a trowel on (plaster, soil, etc)
 
[C14: from Old French truele, from Latin trulla a scoop, from trua a stirring spoon]
 
'troweller
 
n
 
'troweler
 
n

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

trowel
1344, "tool for spreading plaster or mortar," from O.Fr. truele (13c.), from L.L. truella "small ladle, dipper" (1163), dim. of L. trua "a stirring spoon, ladle, skimmer." The gardening tool was so called since 1796.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

trowel

see under lay it on thick.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Sadly, the little trowel was discontinued last year, though holdovers remain on some shelves.
Grab your trowel and park it in the museum of garden artifacts.
Actually, there is a relatively easy way built a beautiful walkway without having to mix concrete or trowel mortar.
Spreads cement on foundation material with serrated trowel.
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