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scuttle

1
[ skuht-l ]
/ ˈskʌt l /
||
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noun

a deep bucket for carrying coal.
British Dialect. a broad, shallow basket.

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RELATED WORDS

scamper, scurry, abandon, sink, submerge, run, dash, race, bustle, sprint, hasten, scramble

Nearby words

  1. scutellate,
  2. scutellation,
  3. scutellum,
  4. scutiform,
  5. scutter,
  6. scuttlebutt,
  7. scutular,
  8. scutulum,
  9. scutum,
  10. scutwork

Origin of scuttle

1
before 1050; Middle English; Old English scutel dish, trencher, platter < Latin scutella, diminutive of scutra shallow pan

Definition for scuttle (2 of 3)

scuttle

2
[ skuht-l ]
/ ˈskʌt l /

verb (used without object), scut·tled, scut·tling.

to run with quick, hasty steps; scurry.

noun

a quick pace.
a short, hurried run.

Origin of scuttle

2
1400–50; late Middle English scottlynge (gerund), variant of scuddle, frequentative of scud1

Definition for scuttle (3 of 3)

scuttle

3
[ skuht-l ]
/ ˈskʌt l /

noun

Nautical.
  1. a small hatch or port in the deck, side, or bottom of a vessel.
  2. a cover for this.
a small hatchlike opening in a roof or ceiling.

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

to sink (a vessel) deliberately by opening seacocks or making openings in the bottom.
to abandon, withdraw from, or cause to be abandoned or destroyed (as plans, hopes, rumors, etc.).

Origin of scuttle

3
1490–1500; perhaps ≪ Spanish escotilla hatchway, equivalent to escot(e) a cutting of cloth (< Gothic skaut seam; akin to sheet1) + -illa diminutive suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scuttle

British Dictionary definitions for scuttle (1 of 3)

scuttle

1
/ (ˈskʌtəl) /

noun

See coal scuttle
dialect, mainly British a shallow basket, esp for carrying vegetables
the part of a motor-car body lying immediately behind the bonnet

Word Origin for scuttle

Old English scutel trencher, from Latin scutella bowl, diminutive of scutra platter; related to Old Norse skutill, Old High German scuzzila, perhaps to Latin scūtum shield

British Dictionary definitions for scuttle (2 of 3)

scuttle

2
/ (ˈskʌtəl) /

verb

(intr) to run or move about with short hasty steps

noun

a hurried pace or run

Word Origin for scuttle

C15: perhaps from scud, influenced by shuttle

British Dictionary definitions for scuttle (3 of 3)

scuttle

3
/ (ˈskʌtəl) /

verb

(tr) nautical to cause (a vessel) to sink by opening the seacocks or making holes in the bottom
(tr) to give up (hopes, plans, etc)

noun

nautical a small hatch or its cover

Word Origin for scuttle

C15 (n): via Old French from Spanish escotilla a small opening, from escote opening in a piece of cloth, from escotar to cut out
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