whittler

whit·tle

W w

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hwit-l, wit-l]
- /ˈʰwɪt l, ˈwɪt l/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [hwit-l, wit-l]
- /ˈʰwɪt l, ˈwɪt l/

Definitions of whittler word

verb with object whittler to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife. 1
verb with object whittler to form by whittling: to whittle a figure. 1
verb with object whittler to cut off (a bit). 1
verb with object whittler to reduce the amount of, as if by whittling; pare down; take away by degrees (usually followed by down, away, etc.): to whittle down the company's overhead; to whittle away one's inheritance. 1
verb without object whittler to whittle wood or the like with a knife, as in shaping something or as a mere aimless diversion: to spend an afternoon whittling. 1
verb without object whittler to tire oneself or another by worrying or fussing. 1

See all 9 definitions of whittler

Information block about the term

Origin of whittler

First appearance:

before 1375

One of the 22% oldest English words

1375-1425; late Middle English (noun), dialectal variant of thwitel knife, Old English thwīt(an) to cut + -el -le

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Whittler

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Whittler

whittler popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 71% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

According to our data about 60% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

whittler usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer