Origin and Etymology of whittle
Middle English whittel, alteration of thwitel, from thwiten to whittle, from Old English thwītan; akin to Old Norse thveita to hew
First Known Use: 15th century
whittle
Simple Definition of whittle
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: to cut or shape (a piece of wood) by cutting small pieces from it : to make or shape (something) from a piece of wood by cutting small pieces from it
Full Definition of whittle
whittled
whittling
play \ˈhwit-liŋ, ˈwit-; ˈhwi-təl-iŋ, ˈwi-\transitive verb
1 a : to pare or cut off chips from the surface of (wood) with a knife b : to shape or form by so paring or cutting
2 : to reduce, remove, or destroy gradually as if by cutting off bits with a knife : pare <whittle down expenses>
intransitive verb
1 : to cut or shape something (as wood) by or as if by paring it with a knife
2 : to wear oneself or another out with fretting
Examples of whittle in a sentence
He was sitting on the porch, whittling a stick.
She whittled a walking stick from a maple tree branch.
1552
First Known Use of whittle
1552
WHITTLE Defined for Kids
whittle
playDefinition of whittle for Students
whittled
whittling
1 : to cut or shave off chips from wood : shape by cutting or shaving off chips from wood
2 : to reduce little by little <They are trying to whittle down their spending.>
Learn More about whittle
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Spanish Central: Translation of whittle Nglish: Translation of whittle for Spanish speakers
Seen and Heard
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