trowel

[ trou-uhl ]
See synonyms for trowel on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of various tools having a flat blade with a handle, used for depositing and working mortar, plaster, etc.

  2. a similar tool with a curved, scooplike blade, used in gardening for taking up plants, turning up earth, etc.

verb (used with object),trow·eled, trow·el·ing or (especially British) trow·elled, trow·el·ling.
  1. to apply, shape, smooth, or dig with or as if with a trowel.

Origin of trowel

1
1300–50; Middle English <Old French truelle<Late Latin truella, equivalent to Latin tru(a) ladle + -ella-elle

Other words from trowel

  • trow·el·er; especially British, trow·el·ler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for trowel

trowel

/ (ˈtraʊəl) /


noun
  1. any of various small hand tools having a flat metal blade attached to a handle, used for scooping or spreading plaster or similar materials

  2. a similar tool with a curved blade used by gardeners for lifting plants, etc

verb-els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled
  1. (tr) to use a trowel on (plaster, soil, etc)

Origin of trowel

1
C14: from Old French truele, from Latin trulla a scoop, from trua a stirring spoon

Derived forms of trowel

  • troweller or US troweler, noun

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with trowel

trowel

see under lay it on thick.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.