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Webster 1913 Edition

Towel

Tow′el

,
Noun.
[OE.
towaille
,
towail
, F.
touaille
, LL.
toacula
, of Teutonic origin; cf. OHG.
dwahila
,
swahilla
, G.
zwehle
, fr. OHG.
dwahan
to wash; akin to D.
dwaal
a towel, AS.
þweán
to wash, OS.
thwahan
, Icel.
þvā
, Sw.
två
, Dan.
toe
, Goth.
þwahan
. Cf.
Doily
.]
A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, as the person after a bath.
Towel gourd
(Bot.)
,
the fruit of the cucurbitaceous plant
Luffa Aegyptiaca
; also, the plant itself. The fruit is very fibrous, and, when separated from its rind and seeds, is used as a sponge or towel. Called also
Egyptian bath sponge
, and
dishcloth
.

Tow′el

,
Verb.
T.
To beat with a stick.
[Prov. Eng.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Towel

TOW'EL

,
Noun.
A cloth used for wiping the hands and for other things.

Definition 2024

towel

towel

English

Noun

towel ‎(plural towels)

  1. A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, as a person after a bath.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

towel ‎(third-person singular simple present towels, present participle toweling or towelling, simple past and past participle toweled or towelled)

  1. (transitive) To hit with a towel.
  2. (transitive) To dry by using a towel.
    He got out of the shower and toweled himself dry.
  3. (Britain, dialect, obsolete, transitive) To beat with a stick.

Derived terms

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English towel, towail, towaille, from Old French toaille ‎(“towel”) (modern French touaille), from Frankish *thwahila ‎(“cloth”), from Proto-Germanic *þwahilō ‎(“wash-cloth”, literally “something used for washing”), from *þwahaną ‎(“to wash”), from Proto-Indo-European *tʷak- ‎(“to bathe”). Cognate with Old High German dwahila ‎(“towel”) (modern dialectal German Zwehle), Dutch dwaal ‎(“towel”), dweil ‎(“mop”), Low German Dweel ‎(“towel”), Old English þwǣle ‎(“band; ribbon; fillet”), Old English þwēan ‎(“to wash”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: touʹəl
  • IPA(key): /tau̇.əl/, /taʊ.əl/
  • Rhymes: -aʊl, -aʊəl

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