whittle

whittle
whittler, n.
/hwit"l, wit"l/, v., whittled, whittling, n.
v.t.
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 fol. by down, away, etc.): to whittle down the company's overhead; to whittle away one's inheritance.
v.i.
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.
n.
7. Brit. Dial. a knife, esp. a large one, as a carving knife or a butcher knife.
[1375-1425; late ME (n.), dial. var. of thwitel knife, OE thwit(an) to cut + -el -LE]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Whittle — Whit tle, n. [AS. hw[=i]tel, from hwit white; akin to Icel. hv[=i]till a white bed cover. See {White}.] (a) A grayish, coarse double blanket worn by countrywomen, in the west of England, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl. C. Kingsley. (b) …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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