whittle

whittle
I. noun Etymology: Middle English whittel, alteration of thwitel, from thwiten to whittle, from Old English thwītan; akin to Old Norse thveita to hew Date: 15th century archaic a large knife II. verb (whittled; whittling) Date: 1552 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 • whittler noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • WHITTLE (F.) — Frank WHITTLE 1907 1996 L’aviation moderne doit à sir Frank Whittle l’invention qui révolutionna le transport aérien de l’après guerre, le moteur à réaction. Il fut en effet le premier, en janvier 1930, à déposer un brevet sur la propulsion par… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Whittle — may refer to: *Whittle, Derbyshire, a hamlet near Glossop, Derbyshire, United Kingdom *Whittle (UK game show), a game show on Channel 5 presented by Tim Vine *Whittling, the carving of wood with a knifeOne of several people with the surname… …   Wikipedia

  • Whittle — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Brian Whittle (* 1964), britischer Leichtathlet Frank Whittle (1907–1996), englischer Pilot, Erfinder und Geschäftsmann Peter Whittle (* 1927), neuseeländischer Mathematiker Diese …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • whittle — [hwit′ l, wit′ l] vt. whittled, whittling [< obs. whittle, a knife < ME whyttel, var. of thwitel, dim. < OE thwitan, to cut < IE base * twei , to strike, cut] 1. a) to cut or pare thin shavings from (wood) with a knife b) to make or… …   English World dictionary

  • Whittle — Whit tle, n. [AS. hw[=i]tel, from hwit white; akin to Icel. hv[=i]till a white bed cover. See {White}.] (a) A grayish, coarse double blanket worn by countrywomen, in the west of England, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl. C. Kingsley. (b) …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whittle — Whit tle, n. [OE. thwitel, fr. AS. pw[=i]tan to cut. Cf. {Thwittle}, {Thwaite} a piece of ground.] A knife; esp., a pocket, sheath, or clasp knife. A butcher s whittle. Dryden. Rude whittles. Macaulay. [1913 Webster] He wore a Sheffield whittle… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whittle — ► VERB 1) carve (wood) by repeatedly cutting small slices from it. 2) make by whittling. 3) (whittle away/down) reduce by degrees. ORIGIN from dialect whittle «knife», from an Old English word meaning «cut, cut off» …   English terms dictionary

  • Whittle — Whit tle, v. i. To cut or shape a piece of wood with am small knife; to cut up a piece of wood with a knife. [1913 Webster] Dexterity with a pocketknife is a part of a Nantucket education; but I am inclined to think the propensity is national.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whittle —   [wɪtl], Sir (seit 1948) Frank, britischer Ingenieur, * Coventry 1. 6. 1907, ✝ Columbia (Maryland) 9. 8. 1996; 1923 48 in Diensten der Royal Air Force, 1932 37 Ingenieurausbildung, anschließend in der Luftfahrtindustrie tätig. Whittle erhielt… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Whittle — Whit tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Whittled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whittling}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To pare or cut off the surface of with a small knife; to cut or shape, as a piece of wood held in the hand, with a clasp knife or pocketknife. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whittle — Sir Frank …   Scientists

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