3 entries under this word

Whittle

Whit'tle, n.

noun

(hwĭt'tl), n. [A-S. hwitle, a little knife.] 1. A knife; a pocket, sheath, or clasp-knife. “A butcher's whittle.” Dryden. A Sheffield whittle in his hose. Betterton. 2. [A-S. hwitel, a cloak.] A grayish, coarse double blanket worn by west country-women, in England, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl. Halliwell. C. Kingsley.

Whit'tle, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. WHITTLED; p. pr. & vb. n. WHITTLING.] [See supra, and cf. THWITTLE.]

To pare or cut off the surface of with a small knife; to cut or shape, as a piece of wood held in the hand, with a clasp or pocket-knife.
To edge; to sharpen; to render eager or excited; especially, to excite with liquor; to inebriate. [Obs.]

“In vino veritas.” When men are well whittled, their tongues run at random. Withal.

Whit'tle, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. To cut or shape a piece of wood with a small knife.

Dexterity with the pocket-knife is a part of a Nantucket education; but I am inclined to think the propensity is national. Americans must and will whittle. N. P. Willis.