tiller

¹ American  

[til-er] / ˈtɪl ər /

noun

1. a person who tills; farmer.

2. a person or thing that tills; cultivator.

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tiller ² American  

[til-er] / ˈtɪl ər /

noun

Nautical.

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

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tiller ³ American  

[til-er] / ˈtɪl ər /

noun

1. a plant shoot that springs from the root or bottom of the original stalk.

2. a sapling.

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verb (used without object)

1. (of a plant) to put forth new shoots from the root or around the bottom of the original stalk.

tiller ¹ British  

/ ˈtɪlə /

noun

1. a shoot that arises from the base of the stem in grasses

2. a less common name for sapling

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verb

1. (intr) (of a plant) to produce tillers

tiller ² British  

/ ˈtɪlə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• tillerless adjective

Etymology

Origin of tiller¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tiller(e), tiliere; till ², -er ¹

Origin of tiller²

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

Origin of tiller³

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

Example Sentences

Back in Saskatchewan, Darby notes younger farmers are turning to technology while older tillers might resist major change.

From BBC

"In face of setbacks, it requires a steady hand on the tiller and the vision to see the bigger picture", says Dr Barber, saying that knee-jerk responses to failures could "cause damage and delay".

From BBC

It would have worked if supply and demand were holding the tiller.

From Salon

“All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said.

From Seattle Times

The captain managed to use the nose wheel tiller to keep the plane near the runway centerline until the pedals unstuck.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• grower
• laborer
• peasant
• producer
• rancher