Meanings
tiller1
plural tillers
- A person who tills; a farmer.
In France, Europe's most fertile and cultivated land, the tillers of it suffered more and more hunger.
2000, Alasdair Gray, The Book of Prefaces, Bloomsbury, published 2002, page 63 - A machine that mechanically tills the soil.
Synonyms: cultivator
tiller2
plural tillers · alternative tillow
- obsoleteA young tree.
first you must provide you of a Ladder to ascend the top of your Pit : this they usually make of a curved Tiller fit to apply to the convex shape of the heap
1664, J[ohn] E[velyn], Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-trees and the Propagation of Timber in His Majesties Dominions. […], London: […] Jo[hn] Martyn, and Ja[mes] Allestry, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC
present singular third person tillers · participle present tillering · participle past tillered · past tillered · alternative tillow
- intransitiveTo produce new shoots from the root or from around the bottom of the original stalk; stool.
tiller3
plural tillers
- archeryThe stock; a beam on a crossbow carved to fit the arrow, or the point of balance in a longbow.
You can shoot in a tiller.
c. 1608–1610, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, “Philaster: Or, Love Lies a Bleeding”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1679, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii - nauticalA bar of iron or wood connected with the rudderhead and leadline, usually forward, in which the rudder is moved as desired by the tiller (FM 55-501).
- broadlyaeronauticsA steering wheel, usually mounted on the lower portion of the captain's control column, which is used to steer the aircraft's nosewheel or tailwheel to provide steering during taxi.
- The rear-wheel steering control, aboard a tiller truck.
- UKdialectalobsoleteA small drawer; a till.
But search her cabinet, and thou shalt find Each tiller there with love-epistles lin'd
1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Sixth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC
Tiller4
plural Tillers
- countableuncountableA surname originating as an occupation.
- countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Douglas County, Oregon, United States.
- countableuncountableA suburb of Trondheim, formerly a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA machine that mechanically tills the soil.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna farm implement used to break up the surface of the soil (for aeration and weed control and conservation of moisture)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tiller · noun
- Middle Englishtilier
- Englishtiller
From Middle English tilier; equivalent to till + -er.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →tiller · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*delgʰ-“to split, divide, cut, carve”
- Proto-Germanic*telguz“twig, branch”
- Proto-West Germanic*telguʀ
- Old Englishtelgor
- Middle Englishtelȝre
- Englishtiller
From Middle English telȝre, telgra, from Old English telgor, telgra, telgre ("twig, branch, shoot") (also telga, telge (whence tillow)), from Proto-West Germanic *telguʀ, from Proto-Germanic *telguz (“twig, branch”), from Proto-Indo-European *delgʰ- (“to split, divide, cut, carve”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tälge (“sapling”), Dutch telg (“descendant, scion, offshoot, shoot”), Dutch Low Saxon telge (“twig, branch”), German Zelge (“twig, branch, bough”), Swedish telning (“branch, scion, sapling”), Icelandic tág (“willow-twig”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →tiller · noun
- Latintēla“web”
- Medieval Latintelarium
- Anglo-Normantelier“beam used in weaving”
- Middle Englishteler
- Englishtiller
From Middle English teler, from Anglo-Norman telier (“beam used in weaving”), from Medieval Latin telarium, from Latin tēla (“web”).
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek οἴαξ
- οἴαξ (oíax)part of the rudder
Arabic زَارِع
- زَارِع (zāriʕ)person
Bulgarian орач, култиватор
- орач (orač)person
- култиватор (kultivator)machine
- издънка (izdănka)shoot of a plant
- филиз (filiz)shoot of a plant
- пускам филизи (puskam filizi)put forth new shoots
- ру́мпел (rúmpel)part of the rudder
Catalan arjau
- arjaupart of the rudder
Czech oráč, kypřič
- oráčperson
- kypřičmachine
- kultivátormachine
- výhonekshoot of a plant
- odnožshoot of a plant
- rozvětvit seput forth new shoots
- rozvětvovat seput forth new shoots
- kormidelní pákapart of the rudder
Danish landmand, rorpind
- landmandperson
- rorpindpart of the rudder
Dutch boer, landman
- boerperson
- landmanperson
- graafmachinemachine
- helmstokpart of the rudder
Estonian põldur, maaviljeleja
- põldurperson
- maaviljelejaperson
- kobestimachine
- muldajamachine
- kultivaatormachine
- kasvshoot of a plant
- juurdevõsushoot of a plant
- võsumaput forth new shoots
- tüüripuupart of the rudder
- roolipinnpart of the rudder
Finnish maanviljelijä, kultivaattori
- maanviljelijäperson
- kultivaattorimachine
- versoaput forth new shoots
- pinnapart of the rudder
- peräsinvarsipart of the rudder
- peräsinkampipart of the rudder
French fermier, paysan
- fermierperson
- paysanperson
- excavatricemachine
- barrepart of the rudder
German Fräse, Motorpflug
- Fräsemachine
- Motorpflugmachine
- Pinnepart of the rudder
- Helmstockpart of the rudder
Greek αδελφώνω
- αδελφώνω (adelfóno)put forth new shoots
Hebrew יָדִית הֶגֶה
- יָדִית הֶגֶה (yadit hegeh)part of the rudder
Hungarian kapás, kapáló ember
- kapásperson
- kapáló emberperson
- kapálógépmachine
- kormányrúdpart of the rudder
- hajókormánypart of the rudder
Icelandic stjórnvölur
- stjórnvölurpart of the rudder
Irish meathán íochtair, halmadóir
- meathán íochtairshoot of a plant
- halmadóirpart of the rudder
- maide stiúrachpart of the rudder
Italian aratore, aratro
- aratoreperson
- aratromachine
- accestireput forth new shoots
- barra del timonepart of the rudder
Latin ansa
- ansapart of the rudder
Norwegian Bokmål rorkult, rorpinne
- rorkultpart of the rudder
- rorpinnepart of the rudder
Polish rumpel
- rumpelpart of the rudder
Portuguese cana do leme
- cana do lemepart of the rudder
Russian ру́мпель
- ру́мпель (rúmpelʹ)part of the rudder
Scottish Gaelic failm, falmadair
- failmpart of the rudder
- falmadairpart of the rudder
Spanish campesino, arado cincel
- campesinoperson
- arado cincelmachine
- cultivadormachine
- motoaradomachine
- caña del timónpart of the rudder
Swahili ujari, mkombo
- ujaripart of the rudder
- mkombopart of the rudder
- kanapart of the rudder
Swedish jordfräs, rorkult
- jordfräsmachine
- rorkultpart of the rudder
Welsh braich llyw, hegl llyw
- braich llywpart of the rudder
- hegl llywpart of the rudder
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tiller
Anagrams
Cite this entry
tiller. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiller
“tiller.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiller. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tiller,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tiller.
Source: tiller on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.