pestle

English

A mortar and pestle with black peppercorns.

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French pestel, from Latin pistillum, from pīnsō (“pound, beat”).[1] Doublet of pistil.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɛsəl/
  • Rhymes: -ɛsəl
  • Audio (CA)(file)

Noun

pestle (plural pestles)

  1. A club-shaped, round-headed stick used in a mortar to pound, crush, rub or grind things.
  2. (archaic) A constable's or bailiff's staff; so called from its shape.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Chapman to this entry?)
  3. The leg and leg bone of an animal, especially of a pig.
    a pestle of pork

Coordinate terms

Translations

Verb

pestle (third-person singular simple present pestles, present participle pestling, simple past and past participle pestled)

  1. (transitive) To pound, crush, rub or grind, as in a mortar with a pestle.

References

  1. ↑ “pestle” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2018.

Anagrams

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