Meanings
nounwattle (countable and uncountable, plural wattles)
plural wattles
- countableuncountableA construction of branches and twigs woven together to form a wall, barrier, fence, or roof.
And there the heathen Prince, Arviragus, / Gave him an isle of marsh whereon to build; / And there he built with wattles from the marsh / A little lonely church in days of yore, […]
1874, Alfred Tennyson, “The Holy Grail”, in Idylls of the King (The Works of Alfred Tennyson; VI), cabinet edition, London: Henry S. King & Co., […], →OCLC, page 104 - countableuncountableA decorative fleshy appendage on the neck of a goat.
- countableuncountableLoose hanging skin in the neck of a person.
The buttons below his waddle open to reveal a ruddy V, tidemark of the sun.
2006, Peter Godwin, When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa - countableuncountableAny of several Australian trees and shrubs of the genus Acacia, or their bark, used in tanning, seen as a national emblem of Australia.
The tents and sheets are made of the best Canadian duck, tanned for the purpose of preservation with a strong extract of iron-bark and wattle-bark.
1901, “Progress in the Fruit Industry of Queensland”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record, volume 4, page 16 - countableobsoleteslanguncountableAn ear (organ of hearing).
Wat. A hare, from his wattles, i. e. long ears.
1883, Albert Ellery Berg, The Universal Self-instructor and Manual of General Reference, page 2241 more example
"Tip me your wattles, my pal, and touch my whids, or I'll make you whindle like a kinchin," give me your ears and take my words, or I'll make you snivel like a child.
1859, George Washington Matsell, Vocabulum; or The Rogue's Lexicon
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna fleshy wrinkled and often brightly colored fold of skin hanging from the neck or throat of certain birds (chickens and turkeys) or lizards
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*wey-“to turn, wind, bend”
- Old Englishwatel
- Middle Englishwattel
- Englishwattle
From Middle English wattel, watel, from Old English watel, watul (“hurdle”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, wind, bend”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian плет, обица
- плет (plet)construction of branches and twigs
- обица (obica)fold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Catalan barballera
- barballerafold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Chinese Mandarin 籬牆 /篱墙
- 籬牆 /篱墙 (líqiáng)construction of branches and twigs
Czech proutěné pletivo, hať
- proutěné pletivoconstruction of branches and twigs
- haťconstruction of branches and twigs
- lalokfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- lalokloose hanging skin
Dutch vlechtwerk, lel
- vlechtwerkconstruction of branches and twigs
- lelfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- kwabloose hanging skin
Finnish punos, heltta
- punosconstruction of branches and twigs
- helttafold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- helttafleshy appendage on the neck of goat
- helttaloose hanging skin
- akasiaAustralian acacia
French clayonnage, barbillon
- clayonnageconstruction of branches and twigs
- barbillonfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- pampillefleshy appendage on the neck of goat
- mimosaAustralian acacia
- acaciaAustralian acacia
German Flechtwerk, Kehllappen
- Flechtwerkconstruction of branches and twigs
- Kehllappenfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- Glöckchenfleshy appendage on the neck of goat
- Berlockefleshy appendage on the neck of goat
- Gold-AkazieAustralian acacia
Greek καλαμωτή, πλέγμα
- καλαμωτή (kalamotí)construction of branches and twigs
- πλέγμα (plégma)construction of branches and twigs
- λειρί (leirí)fold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Hebrew שִׁטָּה
- שִׁטָּה (shitá)Australian acacia
Hungarian vesszőfonat, vesszőfonadék
- vesszőfonatconstruction of branches and twigs
- vesszőfonadékconstruction of branches and twigs
- sövényfonatconstruction of branches and twigs
- sövényfonadékconstruction of branches and twigs
- vesszősövényconstruction of branches and twigs
- vesszőkerítésconstruction of branches and twigs
- lebernyegfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- bőrlebernyegfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- bőrszakállfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- szakállfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- pötyögőfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Indonesian gelambir
- gelambirfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Irish caolach, cleathóg
- caolachconstruction of branches and twigs
- cleathógconstruction of branches and twigs
- cleithconstruction of branches and twigs
- sprochaillefold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- sprochailleloose hanging skin
- meilleogloose hanging skin
- crann acaiciaAustralian acacia
Italian canniccio, graticcio
- canniccioconstruction of branches and twigs
- graticcioconstruction of branches and twigs
- intreccio di canne o viminiconstruction of branches and twigs
- recinzioneconstruction of branches and twigs
- bargigliofold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- barbazzalefleshy appendage on the neck of goat
- pappagorgialoose hanging skin
- acacia australianaAustralian acacia
Māori werewere, peruperu
- werewerefold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- peruperufold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- wātaraAustralian acacia
- wāteraAustralian acacia
- keihaAustralian acacia
Persian لار, دگلان
- لار (lâr)fold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- دگلان (deglân)fleshy appendage on the neck of goat
Polish plecionka
- plecionkaconstruction of branches and twigs
Portuguese pau a pique, taipa
- pau a piqueconstruction of branches and twigs
- taipaconstruction of branches and twigs
- barbelafold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- papilhafold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- barbelafleshy appendage on the neck of goat
- papoloose hanging skin
- papadaloose hanging skin
- acáciaAustralian acacia
Russian плете́нь, плетёный забо́р
- плете́нь (pleténʹ)construction of branches and twigs
- плетёный забо́р (pletjónyj zabór)construction of branches and twigs
- серёжка (serjóžka)fold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- боро́дка (boródka)fold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- боро́дка (boródka)fleshy appendage on the neck of goat
- двойно́й подборо́док (dvojnój podboródok)loose hanging skin
- ака́ция (akácija)Australian acacia
- австрали́йская ака́ция (avstralíjskaja akácija)Australian acacia
Scottish Gaelic cluigean
- cluigeanfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Spanish zarzo, barbilla
- zarzoconstruction of branches and twigs
- barbillafold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- carúnculafold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- piñafold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- mamellafleshy appendage on the neck of goat
- papadaloose hanging skin
- acaciaAustralian acacia
Thai เหนียง, เหนียง
- เหนียง (nǐiang)fold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- เหนียง (nǐiang)loose hanging skin
Turkish ibik
- ibikfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Ukrainian пліт, борідка
- пліт (plit)construction of branches and twigs
- борідка (boridka)fold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
- австралійська акація (avstralijsʹka akacija)Australian acacia
Vietnamese liếp, phên
- liếpconstruction of branches and twigs
- phênconstruction of branches and twigs
- tích (gà)fold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Welsh bangorwaith, plethwaith
- bangorwaithconstruction of branches and twigs
- plethwaithconstruction of branches and twigs
- tagellfold of skin hanging from the neck of birds
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with wattle
All rhymes →Sounds the same
what'll (UK, wine–whine merger)what'll (UK, wine–whine merger)
Cite this entry
APA
wattle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wattle
MLA
“wattle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wattle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wattle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wattle.
Source: wattle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.