smittle

S1M3I1T1T1L1E1

verb

To infect.

OriginMiddle English smitten ← Old English smittian →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

verbsmittle (third-person singular simple present smittles, present participle smittling, simple past and past participle smittled)

present singular third person smittles · participle present smittling · participle past smittled · past smittled

  1. UKobsoletetransitiveTo infect.
adjective
  1. UKdialectalobsoleteInfectious.
nounsmittle (plural smittles)

plural smittles

  1. UKdialectalobsoleteAn infection.

Origin

  1. Old Englishsmittian“to defile; pollute; befoul”
  2. Middle Englishsmitten“to smear; smudge; stain; taint”
  3. Englishsmittle

Frequentative from Middle English smitten (“to smear; smudge; stain; taint”), from Old English smittian (“to defile; pollute; befoul”). Cognate with German schmitzen (“to pollute”), Danish smitte (“to infect”). Related also to smite.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

smittle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smittle

MLA

“smittle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smittle. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smittle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smittle.

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