| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024whit•tling (hwit′ling, wit′-),USA pronunciation n. - the act of a person who whittles.
- Often, whittlings. a bit or chip whittled off.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024whit•tle /ˈhwɪtəl, ˈwɪtəl/USA pronunciation v., -tled, -tling. - to cut, trim, or shape (wood) by carving off bits with a knife: [~ + object]to whittle wood.[no object]sat whittling with his brand-new knife.
- to form by whittling:[~ + object]to whittle a toy soldier from a block of wood.
- to reduce the amount of gradually: [~ + object]to whittle costs.[~ + down + object]to whittle down expenses.
whit•tler, n. [countable] WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024whit•tle (hwit′l, wit′l),USA pronunciation v., -tled, -tling, n. v.t. - to cut, trim, or shape (a stick, piece of wood, etc.) by carving off bits with a knife.
- to form by whittling:to whittle a figure.
- to cut off (a bit).
- to reduce the amount of, as if by whittling;
pare down;
take away by degrees (usually fol. by down, away, etc.):to whittle down the company's overhead; to whittle away one's inheritance.
v.i. - to whittle wood or the like with a knife, as in shaping something or as a mere aimless diversion:to spend an afternoon whittling.
- to tire oneself or another by worrying or fussing.
n. - British Termsa knife, esp. a large one, as a carving knife or a butcher knife.
- late Middle English (noun, nominal), dialect, dialectal variant of thwitel knife, Old English thwīt(an) to cut + -el -le 1375–1425
Whit•tle (hwit′l, wit′l),USA pronunciation n. - Biographical Sir Frank, born 1907, English engineer and inventor.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: whittle /ˈwɪtəl/ vb - to cut or shave strips or pieces from (wood, a stick, etc), esp with a knife
- (transitive) to make or shape by paring or shaving
- (tr; often followed by away, down, off, etc) to reduce, destroy, or wear away gradually
- Northern English dialect (intransitive) to complain or worry about something continually
n - Brit dialect a knife, esp a large one
Etymology: 16th Century: variant of C15 thwittle large knife, from Old English thwitel, from thwītan to cut; related to Old Norse thveitr cut, thveita to beatˈwhittler n |