fettle

noun fet·tle \ ˈfe-tᵊl \

Definition of fettle

: state or condition of health, fitness, wholeness, spirit, or form —often used in the phrase in fine fettle

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Examples of fettle in a Sentence

a visit to the relatives on the other side of the state revealed them all to be in fine fettle

Recent Examples of fettle from the Web

The most likable character actually is a private-equity guy himself, Leo Tresler (Michael Siberry in fine fettle).

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "Sold! Ayad Akhtar's 'Junk' on Broadway hits fast and hard," 2 Nov. 2017
Left winger Ante Erceg, for instance, has begun the season in fine fettle - the 27-year-old netting four goals in his first six appearances this term - to take his overall tally for the club to 17 goals in just 39 games.

— SI.com, "In Profile: Taking a Closer Look at Everton's Europa League Play-Off Opponents Hajduk Split," 4 Aug. 2017
The orchestra played splendidly throughout the evening, with the brass in particularly fine fettle and the strings sounding lustrous.

— bob thomas, Orange County Register, "Pacific Symphony proves itself big enough to handle Mahler’s Symphony No. 2," 9 June 2017
But now Julia has been brought to life in fine Muppet fettle.

— frazier moore, The Denver Post, "A Muppet with autism to be welcomed soon on “Sesame Street”," 20 Mar. 2017
Your instincts are in fine fettle to interfere and meddle.

— jeraldine saunders, The Mercury News, "Horoscope: February 28, 2017," 28 Feb. 2017
Both his parents are nonagenarians who have slowed down over the years but still appear in fairly fine fettle.

— bill daley, chicagotribune.com, "Prince Philip's retirement has many asking 'who's royally next?'," 5 May 2017
In recent years, New York City Ballet’s corps has been a wellspring of talent, bubbling up to refresh and replenish a company already in fine fettle.

— alastair macaulay, New York Times, "Fresh Dewdrops for New York City Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’," 29 Dec. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fettle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fettle

²fettle

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First Known Use: 1740

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fettle Synonyms

fettle

verb

Definition of fettle

fettled; fettling play \ˈfet-liŋ, ˈfe-tᵊl-iŋ\

transitive verb

: to cover or line the hearth of (something, such as a reverberatory furnace) with loose material (such as sand or gravel)

Recent Examples of fettle from the Web

Even my new friend here— a show car almost certainly hand-fettled for the occasion —suffers from faults of panel alignment.

— dan neil, WSJ, "How Tesla Electrified Rivals at the L.A. Auto Show," 8 Dec. 2017
View 39 Photos If today’s Leaf is that one-percenter, this new-generation car is formed and fettled to be a 10-percenter.

— bengt halvorson, Car and Driver, "2018 Nissan Leaf: Turning Over Anew," 6 Sep. 2017

Origin and Etymology of fettle

British dialect, to set in order, get ready, from Middle English fetlen to shape, prepare; perhaps akin to Old English fetian to fetch — more at fetch

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1881

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