verb
whittle
WHIT-ul/ˈwɪtl/
To shape wood by cutting away small pieces.
A man whittles a wooden stick with a short carving knife.
Etymology
Middle English whittel named a knife. The tool's name became a verb for cutting thin shavings with it, the action used to shape wood by removing small pieces.
In context
The traditional way to do this is to whittle them
More examples
- She whittles a small bird from a block of pine.
- We whittled the ends of our sticks into points.
- He enjoys whittling on the porch after dinner.
Forms
whittle · whittles · whittled · whittling
whittler noun — Someone who shapes wood by cutting shavings.