Kettle

//ˈkɛ.təl// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    An unincorporated community in Cumberland County, Kentucky, United States, named after a creek. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    An unincorporated community in Roane County, West Virginia, United States, named after a summit. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    Synonym of Kingskettle, Fife, Scotland. countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    A vessel for boiling a liquid or cooking food, usually metal and equipped with a lid.

    "To cook pasta, you first need to put the kettle on."

  2. 2
    Alternative form of kiddle (“kind of fishweir”). alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid wordnet
  4. 4
    The quantity held by a kettle.
  5. 5
    a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    A vessel or appliance used to boil water for the preparation of hot beverages and other foodstuffs.

    "Stick the kettle on and we'll have a nice cup of tea."

  2. 7
    (geology) a hollow (typically filled by a lake) that results from the melting of a mass of ice trapped in glacial deposits wordnet
  3. 8
    A kettle hole, sometimes any pothole.
  4. 9
    the quantity a kettle will hold wordnet
  5. 10
    A group of raptors riding a thermal, especially when migrating. collective

    "a kettle of hawks"

  6. 11
    A steam locomotive. slang
  7. 12
    A kettledrum.
  8. 13
    An instance of kettling; a group of protesters or rioters confined in a limited area.
  9. 14
    A watch (timepiece). slang
  10. 15
    A bucket for holding a quantity of paint during the painting process.
Verb
  1. 1
    To contain demonstrators in a confined area.

    "Life for senior officers has been made much easier by the use of counter-terrorism powers, which enable them to contain demonstrators for hours in a confined spot. This tactic, known as kettling, is seen by some as an attempt to prevent people lawfully demonstrating."

  2. 2
    Of a boiler: to make a whistling sound like the boiling of a kettle, indicative of various types of fault. intransitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English ketel, also chetel, from Old English ċietel (“kettle, cauldron”) and in Middle English possibly influenced by Old Norse ketill and both from Proto-Germanic *katilaz (“kettle, bucket, vessel”), of uncertain origin and formation. Usually regarded as a borrowing of Late Latin catīllus (“small bowl”), diminutive of Latin catinus (“deep bowl, vessel for cooking up or serving food”), however, the word may be Germanic confused with the Latin: compare Old English cete (“cooking pot”), Old High German chezzi (“a kettle, dish, bowl”), Icelandic kati, ketla (“a small boat”). Cognate with West Frisian tsjettel (“kettle”), Dutch ketel (“kettle”), German Kessel (“kettle”), Swedish kittel (“cauldron”), Swedish kittel (“kettle”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌻𐍃 (katils, “kettle”), Finnish kattila, Polish kocioł (“cauldron”), Czech kotel (“boiler”), Russian котёл (kotjól, “boiler, cauldron”). (watch): Cockney rhyming slang from 'kettle and hob' to 'fob' (fob watch).

Etymology 2

From Middle English ketel, also chetel, from Old English ċietel (“kettle, cauldron”) and in Middle English possibly influenced by Old Norse ketill and both from Proto-Germanic *katilaz (“kettle, bucket, vessel”), of uncertain origin and formation. Usually regarded as a borrowing of Late Latin catīllus (“small bowl”), diminutive of Latin catinus (“deep bowl, vessel for cooking up or serving food”), however, the word may be Germanic confused with the Latin: compare Old English cete (“cooking pot”), Old High German chezzi (“a kettle, dish, bowl”), Icelandic kati, ketla (“a small boat”). Cognate with West Frisian tsjettel (“kettle”), Dutch ketel (“kettle”), German Kessel (“kettle”), Swedish kittel (“cauldron”), Swedish kittel (“kettle”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌻𐍃 (katils, “kettle”), Finnish kattila, Polish kocioł (“cauldron”), Czech kotel (“boiler”), Russian котёл (kotjól, “boiler, cauldron”). (watch): Cockney rhyming slang from 'kettle and hob' to 'fob' (fob watch).

Etymology 3

The Scottish place-name was historically Cattell (1160). Probably from Scottish Gaelic cat (“cat”) or Pictish cat (“cat”) with a locational suffix.

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