throstle

American  

[thros-uhl] / ˈθrɒs əl /

noun

1. British (chiefly Literary). the song thrush.

2. Obsolete. a machine for spinning wool, cotton, etc., in which the twisting and winding are simultaneous and continuous.

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throstle British  

/ ˈθrɒsəl /

noun

1. a poetic name for the thrush, esp the song thrush

2. a spinning machine for wool or cotton in which the fibres are twisted and wound continuously

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Etymology

Origin of throstle

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch drossel, German Drossel; akin to Old Norse thrǫstr, Latin turdus thrush

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

throstle

"What do you think of this passage?" he scornfully asked a Shakespearean enthusiast: " 'I would as lief be thrust through a quicket hedge as cry Pooh to a callow throstle.'"

From Time Magazine Archive

"This morn a throstle piped to me, ''Tis time that mates were wooed and won— The daffodils are on the lea.'"

From Love's Usuries by Creswicke, Louis

I proclaim the lovelier throstle, Lord,     The only one my simples recognise.

From The Dales of Arcady by Ratcliffe, Dorothy Una

There also are many birds, throstle, thrush and nightingale, goldfinch and woodlark, which sing merrily day and night.

From Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535 by Power, Eileen

All in vain; the great bird of prey bore down upon him like a hawk upon a throstle, gaining, gaining every moment.

From The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3) Or, Adventures of the Buccaneers by Thornbury, Walter