fettle

Meanings

Noun

• A state of proper physical condition; kilter or trim.
• One's mental state; spirits.
• Sand used to line a furnace.
• A person's mood or state, often assuming the worst.
• a seam line left by the meeting of mold pieces.
• The act of fettling.

Verb

• To sort out, to fix, to mend, to repair.
• To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business.
• To line the hearth of a furnace with sand prior to pouring molten metal.
• To be upset or in a bad mood.
• In ceramics, to remove (as by sanding) the seam lines left by the meeting of two molds.
• To prepare.

Origin

• From Middle English fetlen, of obscure origin. Perhaps from Old English fetian or from Old English fetel. Compare Old English ġefetelsod.