cuttle
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to fold (cloth) face to face after finishing.
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to allow (cloth) to lie without further treatment after fulling, milling, scouring, etc.
noun
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short for cuttlefish cuttlebone
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a small cuttlefish, Sepiola atlantica, often found on beaches
Etymology
Origin of cuttle1
before 1000; late Middle English codel, Old English cudele (replaced in the 16th century by cuttlefish and subsequently reshortened)
Origin of cuttle2
First recorded in 1535–45; origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is also with the object of increasing their bodily powers that these epicures consume the uninviting sea-slug or bêche-de-mer, and dried sharks'-fins and cuttle fish.
From British Borneo Sketches of Brunai, Sarawak, Labuan, and North Borneo by Treacher, W. H. (William Hood), Sir
He was still standing at the fish stall examining a number of loathsome cuttle fish who were regarding him with a fixed and terrible stare from among their many arms.
From Captain Macedoine's Daughter by McFee, William
You have seen the cuttle fish attempt to becloud the water and elude the grasp of his pursuer.
From A Report of the Debates and Proceedings in the Secret Sessions of the Conference Convention For Proposing Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, Held at Washington, D.C., in February, A.D. 1861 by Chittenden, L. E. (Lucius Eugene)
It wud make a nourishin' dish whin ye have whetted ye'er face on a piece iv cuttle fish bone.
From Mr. Dooley Says by Dunne, Finley Peter
"I presume you mean that a giant squid or cuttle fish has attacked us," spoke the professor.
From Under the Ocean to the South Pole Or, the Strange Cruise of the Submarine Wonder by Rockwood, Roy
The doubled piece now passes between a pair of positively driven drawing rollers, and is then "faked," "cuttled," or pleated as indicated.
From The Jute Industry: from Seed to Finished Cloth by Woodhouse, T.
This operation is also known as "cuttling" or "faking."
From The Jute Industry: from Seed to Finished Cloth by Woodhouse, T.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
