kettle

Meanings

Noun

• A vessel for boiling a liquid or cooking food, usually metal and equipped with a lid.
• The quantity held by a kettle.
• A vessel or appliance used to boil water for the preparation of hot beverages and other foodstuffs.
• A kettle hole, sometimes any pothole.
• A group of raptors riding a thermal, especially when migrating.
• A steam locomotive
• A kettledrum.
• An instance of kettling; a group of protesters or rioters confined in a limited area.
• Alternative of kiddle

Verb

• To contain demonstrators in a confined area.
• Of a boiler: to make a whistling sound like the boiling of a kettle, indicative of various types of fault.

Origin

• From Middle English ketel, also chetel, from Old Norse ketill and Old English ċietel ("kettle, cauldron"), both from Proto-Germanic *katilaz ("kettle, bucket, vessel"), of uncertain origin and formation. Usually regarded as a borrowing of Late Latin catīllus ("small bowl"), diminutive of Latin catinus ("deep bowl, vessel for cooking up or serving food"), however, the word may be Germanic confused with the Latin: compare Old High German chezzi ("a kettle, dish, bowl"), Old English cete ("cooking pot"), Icelandic kati, ketla. Cognate with West Frisian tsjettel ("kettle"), Dutch ketel ("kettle"), German Kessel ("kettle"), Swedish kittel ("cauldron"), Swedish kittel ("kettle"), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌻𐍃 ("kettle"), Finnish kattila. Compare also Russian котёл ("boiler, cauldron").