Whittle



GRE Barron TOEFL

解释

GRE 红宝书

• v.削 ( 木头) ; 削减
• ［英］ v.削 ( 木头) ( to pare or cut off chips) ; 削减 ( to reduce; pare)
• ［例］ whittle a branch into a whip handle / whittle down expenses

Webster Collegiate

I. noun

• Etymology: Middle English whittel, alteration of thwitel, from thwiten to whittle, from Old English thwītan; akin to Old Norse thveita to hew
• Date: 15th century
• archaic a large knife

II. verb (whittled; whittling)

• Date: 1552
• transitive verb
  • 1.
    • a. to pare or cut off chips from the surface of (wood) with a knife
    • b. to shape or form by so paring or cutting
  • 2. to reduce, remove, or destroy gradually as if by cutting off bits with a knife ; pare <whittle down expenses>
• intransitive verb
  • 1. to cut or shape something (as wood) by or as if by paring it with a knife
  • 2. to wear oneself or another out with fretting
• ? whittler noun

---