whittle

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“
No penny whittle was asked me, but a knife, whereof I have none to spare The Indyans had long before stoallen my knife.

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Definitions (16)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. transitive verb To cut small bits or pare shavings from (a piece of wood).
  2. transitive verb To fashion or shape in this way: whittle a toy boat.
  3. transitive verb To reduce or eliminate gradually, as if by whittling with a knife: whittled down the debt by making small payments.
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Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (5)

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Examples (50)

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This word has been looked up 110 times.

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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. From Middle English whyttel, knife, variant of thwitel, from thwiten, to whittle, from Old English thwītan, to strike, whittle down.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Formerly also whitle; from whittle, n.
 

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/ˈhwɪtl/
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