twibill

American

[twahy-bil] / ˈtwaɪˌbɪl /

noun

a mattock with one arm like that of an adze and the other like that of an ax.
Archaic. a double-bladed battle-ax.

twibill British

/ ˈtwaɪˌbɪl /

noun

a mattock with a blade shaped like an adze at one end and like an axe at the other
archaic a double-bladed battle-axe

"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

Etymology

Origin of twibill

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English; twi-, bill ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

OBSERVATION.—The words enroll, unroll, miscall, befall, befell, bethrall, reinstall, disinthrall, fulfill, and twibill, are very commonly written with one l, and made exceptions to this rule; but those authors are in the right who retain the double letter.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023