whittle
whittle Lexical Profile
whittle Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To reduce the size, amount, or extent of something gradually through a series of small steps (often followed by 'down' or 'away').
"The hiring committee worked all afternoon to whittle the list of applicants down to five finalists."
To carve or shape wood by repeatedly cutting small slices or shavings from it with a knife.
"Sitting on the porch, the grandfather taught his grandson how to whittle a small wooden bird from a block of pine."
• noun
British A large knife, such as a butcher's knife or carving knife (now chiefly historical or dialectal).
"The historical display featured a sixteenth-century whittle with a worn bone handle."
• Rhymes for whittle
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb derives from the earlier dialectal noun 'whittle' (meaning a large knife), which is an alteration of Middle English 'thwitel', from the Old English verb 'thwitan' meaning 'to cut or shave off'.