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ettle

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ettle¹

  • /ˈɛtl/

Rhymes with -ɛtl

Where it comes from

From Middle English etlien, atlien, from Old Norse ætla (“to think, mean, suppose, intend, purpose”), from Proto-Germanic *ahtalōną (“to strive, think”), from Proto-Indo-European *ok- (“to think, intend, purpose”). Cognate with regional Swedish ättla (“to count, reckon”). Some Middle English forms perhaps remodelled after Old English eaht.

verb ettles · ettling · ettled

  1. Ireland, Northern England, Scotland, transitive To propose, intend.
  2. Ireland, Northern England, Scotland, archaic, intransitive To direct one's course, to head. The Siloam nosed and ettled into the grey sprawl of waves and sent up arcs of swift stinging spray.
  3. Ireland, Northern England, Scotland, intransitive To direct (something) to or at someone or something; to aim at.
  4. Ireland, Northern England, Scotland, intransitive To strive, to try.

noun ettles

  1. Scotland, dialectal Intention; intent; aim.

    Similar: mint

ettle²

  • /ˈɛtl/

Rhymes with -ɛtl

Where it comes from

A variation of addle (“to earn”).

verb ettles · ettling · ettled

  1. obsolete To earn.

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"ettle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ettle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ettle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ettle

Chicago

"ettle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ettle.

BibTeX
@misc{ettle_2026,
  title = {ettle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ettle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}