thumbwheel

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noun

A small thumb or finger-operated wheel on a mechanical or electronic device.

OriginEnglish wheel ← Middle English whel ← Old English hwēol →
UncommonScrabble 23
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Meanings

nounthumbwheel (plural thumbwheels)

plural thumbwheels

  1. A small thumb or finger-operated wheel on a mechanical or electronic device.

Origin

  1. Englishthumb
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelh₁-redup.
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kʷekʷléh₂
  4. Proto-Germanic*hweulō
  5. Old Englishhwēol
  6. Middle Englishwhel
  7. Englishwheel
  8. Englishthumbwheel

From thumb + wheel.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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