Etymology

kettle

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Today it means: A vessel for boiling a liquid or cooking food, usually metal and equipped with a lid. Full definition →

Middle English ketel ← Old English ċietel ← Old Norse ketill
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kettle · noun, verb1

  1. Latin · derived fromcatinus“deep bowl, vessel for cooking up or serving food”
  2. Late Latin · derived fromcatīllus“small bowl”
  3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*katilaz“kettle, bucket, vessel”
  4. Old Norse · derived fromketill
  5. Old English · inherited fromċietel“kettle, cauldron”
  6. Middle English · inherited fromketel
  7. English todaykettle

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).

Kettle · proper noun2

  1. Pictish · derived fromcat“cat”
  2. Scottish Gaelic · derived fromcat“cat”
  3. English todayKettle

The Scottish place-name was historically Cattell (1160). Probably from Scottish Gaelic cat (“cat”) or Pictish cat (“cat”) with a locational suffix.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.