dottle

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
7
Words With Friends
8
Letters
6
Pronunciation
/ˈdɒtəl/ (UK)

Definition of dottle

7 senses · 3 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. A plug or tap of a vessel.
See all 7 definitions

noun

  1. A plug or tap of a vessel.
  2. A small rounded lump or mass.
  3. The still burning or wholly burnt tobacco plug in a pipe.
    “1892, Richard Oliver Heslop, Northumberland Words. English Dialect Society - Kegan Paul et al. In refilling a pipe, where twist is smoked, a common practice is to save the dottle and put it on the top of the new-filled pipe. "Aw like a baccy dottle to leet wiv."”
    “one hand guards the burning dottle of my pipe from the force of the wind”
    “I clenched my pipe in my right fist and poked at the dottle busily with various fingers, first one then another, of my left hand.”
    “He tapped out the dottle on the deck, locked the steering oar in position, and commenced repacking his pipe.”
    “I fiddle and scrape and poke for a while, banging out the dottle from my previous pipeful into an ashtray and puffing down the stem like a horn player warming up his trumpet.”
  4. (Geordie)A baby's dummy, pacifier.
  5. (Scotland)A dotard.

verb

  1. To set pottery flatware horizontally on thimbles.

adj

  1. (Scotland)Stupid or senile.
    “When days and years proclaim you’re old — A dottle, cripple, gouty fellow, Then for support you can lay hold O’ the upright of your umberella.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English dottel, dottelle (“a plug or tap of a vessel”), a diminutive of Old English dott (> English dot (“a point”)), equivalent to dot + -le. Related to Old English dyttan (“to stop up, clot”), Dutch dot (“a knot, lump, clod”), Low German Dutte (“a plug”). More at dit.

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

A single letter you can add to dottle to make another valid word.

Find your best play with dottle

See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes dottle, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.