ettle

E1T1T1L1E1
/ˈɛtl/

verb

To propose, intend.

Similar
mint
OriginMiddle English etlien ← Old Norse ætla ← Proto-Germanic *ahtalōną →
First used 12th c.Scrabble 5
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Meanings

ettle1

verbettle (third-person singular simple present ettles, present participle ettling, simple past and past participle ettled)

present singular third person ettles · participle present ettling · participle past ettled · past ettled

  1. IrelandNorthern EnglandScotlandtransitiveTo propose, intend.First known use 12th c.
  2. IrelandNorthern EnglandScotlandarchaicintransitiveTo direct one's course, to head.First known use 12th c.

    The Siloam nosed and ettled into the grey sprawl of waves and sent up arcs of swift stinging spray.

    1972, George Mackay Brown, Greenvoe, Polygon, published 2019, page 39
  3. IrelandNorthern EnglandScotlandintransitiveTo direct (something) to or at someone or something; to aim at.First known use 14th c.
  4. IrelandNorthern EnglandScotlandintransitiveTo strive, to try.First known use 16th c.
nounettle (plural ettles)

plural ettles

  1. ScotlanddialectalIntention; intent; aim.

    Synonyms: mint

ettle2

verbettle (third-person singular simple present ettles, present participle ettling, simple past and past participle ettled)

present singular third person ettles · participle present ettling · participle past ettled · past ettled

  1. obsoleteTo earn.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounIntention; intent; aim.

Similar
mint
Also see
aim

Origin

ettle · verb, noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ok-“to think, intend, purpose”
  2. Proto-Germanic*ahtalōną“to strive, think”
  3. Old Norseætla“to think, mean, suppose, intend, purpose”
  4. Middle Englishetlien
  5. Englishettle

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.

More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

ettle · verb

A variation of addle (“to earn”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

tetel
Cite this entry
APA

ettle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ettle

MLA

“ettle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ettle. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ettle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ettle.

Source: ettle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.