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tiller

1
[ til-er ]
/ ˈtÉȘl ər /
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noun
a person who tills; farmer.
a person or thing that tills; cultivator.
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Origin of tiller

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tiller(e), tiliere; see origin at till2, -er1

Other definitions for tiller (2 of 3)

tiller2
[ til-er ]
/ ˈtÉȘl ər /

noun Nautical.
a bar or lever fitted to the head of a rudder, for turning the rudder in steering.

Origin of tiller

2
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English teler, telor, tiler(e) “the stock of a crossbow or firearm; tiller (for a boat),” from Old French telier, teiler “weaver's beam,” from Medieval Latin tēlārium, equivalent to Latin tēl(a) “cloth being woven on a loom; loom; plan, design” + -ārium -ary

OTHER WORDS FROM tiller

till·er·less, adjective

Other definitions for tiller (3 of 3)

tiller3
[ til-er ]
/ ˈtÉȘl ər /

noun
a plant shoot that springs from the root or bottom of the original stalk.
a sapling.
verb (used without object)
(of a plant) to put forth new shoots from the root or around the bottom of the original stalk.

Origin of tiller

3
First recorded before 1000; Old English telgor, tealgor “twig, shoot,” (not recorded in Middle English ); akin to Old English telga “branch, bough,” Old Norse tjalga “twig, branch,” Dutch telg
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tiller in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tiller (1 of 2)

tiller1
/ (ˈtÉȘlə) /

noun
nautical a handle fixed to the top of a rudderpost to serve as a lever in steering it

Derived forms of tiller

tillerless, adjective

Word Origin for tiller

C14: from Anglo-French teiler beam of a loom, from Medieval Latin tēlārium, from Latin tēla web

British Dictionary definitions for tiller (2 of 2)

tiller2
/ (ˈtÉȘlə) /

noun
a shoot that arises from the base of the stem in grasses
a less common name for sapling
verb
(intr) (of a plant) to produce tillers

Word Origin for tiller

Old English telgor twig; related to Icelandic tjalga branch
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
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