kettle
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kettle¹
- /ˈkɛ.təl/
- [ˈkʰɛtᵊɫ̩]
- /ˈkɛ.təl/ US
- [ˈkʰɛɾɫ̩] US
- /ˈkɪtəl/ US, dated, regional
- /ˈkɛʈɪl/ South Asia
- /-əl/ South Asia
Rhymes with -ɛtəl
Where it comes from
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, 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).
noun kettles
- 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.
- The quantity held by a kettle.
-
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.
Similar: teakettle
- A kettle hole, sometimes any pothole.
- A group of raptors swirling and spiraling upward as they ride a thermal, especially when migrating. a kettle of hawks
- A steam locomotive.
- A kettledrum.
- An instance of kettling; a group of protesters or rioters confined in a limited area.
- A watch (timepiece).
- A bucket for holding a quantity of paint during the painting process.
-
A type of encirclement.
Near-synonym: cauldron
Similar: cauldron
-
Ellipsis of kettle of fish
Near-synonyms: cauldron, pickle; see also Thesaurus:difficult situation
Similar: cauldron, pickle, ass in a sling, bind, bucket of syrup, calvary, cross, cross to bear, difficulty, dilemma, dire straits, doghouse
verb kettles · kettling · kettled
- 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.
- Of a boiler: to make a whistling sound like the boiling of a kettle, indicative of various types of fault.
kettle²
- /ˈkɛ.təl/
- [ˈkʰɛtᵊɫ̩]
- /ˈkɛ.təl/ US
- [ˈkʰɛɾɫ̩] US
- /ˈkɪtəl/ US, dated, regional
- /ˈkɛʈɪl/ South Asia
- /-əl/ South Asia
Rhymes with -ɛtəl
noun kettles
- Alternative form of kiddle (“kind of fishweir”).
Kettle³
Where it comes from
The Scottish place-name was historically Cattell (1160). Probably from Scottish Gaelic cat (“cat”) or Pictish cat (“cat”) with a locational suffix.
proper noun Kettles · Kettell
- A surname.
- An unincorporated community in Cumberland County, Kentucky, United States, named after a creek.
- An unincorporated community in Roane County, West Virginia, United States, named after a summit.
-
Synonym of Kingskettle, Fife, Scotland.
Similar: Kingskettle, Fife, Scotland
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: kettleful, boiler, tympani, tympanum, timpani, kettledrum, cauldron, jar, caldron, pot, bucket, farina, tea, charcoal, coal, water
Translations
Every language
noun vessel for boiling a liquid or cooking food
| Español | caldera, calentador, pava |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 주전자 jujeonja |
| 日本語 | 薬缶 yakan |
| 中文 | 水壺 /水壶 shuǐhú, 壺 /壶 hú |
| हिन्दी | केतली ketlī |
| Kiswahili | birika |
| Português | chaleira, bule |
| Français | bouilloire |
| Deutsch | Kessel, Kochtopf |
| Italiano | bollitore, cucuma, pentola |
| Ελληνικά | χύτρα chýtra, κατσαρόλα katsaróla |
| Română | ceainic |
| Русский | котёл kotjól, ча́йник čájnik |
| Tiếng Việt | ấm, bình đun siêu tốc |
| العربية | غَلَّايَة ḡallāya |
| עברית | קוּמְקוּם qumqúm |
noun quantity held by a kettle
| Ελληνικά | χύτρα chýtra, κατσαρόλα katsaróla |
|---|---|
| Русский | котёл kotjól |
| Tiếng Việt | ấm |
verb to contain demonstrators
| Français | nasser |
|---|
Talk about this word "kettle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kettle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. kettle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kettle "kettle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kettle.Cite this
@misc{kettle_2026,
title = {kettle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kettle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
