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fettle

[ fet-l ]
/ ˈfɛt l /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR fettle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

state; condition: in fine fettle.

verb (used with object), fet·tled, fet·tling.

Ceramics. to remove mold marks from (a cast piece).
Metallurgy.
  1. to remove sand from (a casting).
  2. to repair the hearth of (an open-hearth furnace).

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Origin of fettle

1300–50; Middle English fetle to shape, prepare, back formation from fetled,Old English *fetelede girded up, equivalent to fetel belt + -ede-ed2

Words nearby fettle

fetotoxicity, fetter, fetter bone, fetterbush, fetterlock, fettle, fettler, fettling, fettuccine, fettuccine Alfredo, fettucine
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to fettle

shape, order, condition

Example sentences from the Web for fettle

British Dictionary definitions for fettle

fettle
/ (ˈfɛtəl) /

verb (tr)

to remove (excess moulding material and casting irregularities) from a cast component
to line or repair (the walls of a furnace)
British dialect
  1. to prepare or arrange (a thing, oneself, etc), esp to put a finishing touch to
  2. to repair or mend (something)

noun

state of health, spirits, etc (esp in the phrase in fine fettle)
another name for fettling

Word Origin for fettle

C14 (in the sense: to put in order): back formation from fetled girded up, from Old English fetel belt
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for fettle

fettle
[ fĕt′l ]

n.

Proper or sound condition.
Mental or emotional state; spirits.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.