towel
noun
- cloth which is used to dry something
verb
- to apply a towel to; to use a towel to rub or dry
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈtaʊ̯əl/ / [ˈtʰaʊ̯l̩] / /ˈtæʊ̯əl/
noun
Etymology: From Middle English towayle, towel, towail, towaille, from Old French toaille (“towel”) (modern French touaille), Medieval Latin toallia, from Frankish *þwahilu (“cloth”), from Proto-Germanic *þwahaną (“to wash”). Cognate with Old High German dwahila (“towel”) (modern dialectal German Zwehle), Dutch dwaal (“towel”), dweil (“mop”), Low German Dweel (“towel”), Old English þwǣle (“band; ribbon; fillet”), Old English þwēan (“to wash”).
- A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, such as a person after a bath.
“He needed a towel for wiping the slippery floor.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English towayle, towel, towail, towaille, from Old French toaille (“towel”) (modern French touaille), Medieval Latin toallia, from Frankish *þwahilu (“cloth”), from Proto-Germanic *þwahaną (“to wash”). Cognate with Old High German dwahila (“towel”) (modern dialectal German Zwehle), Dutch dwaal (“towel”), dweil (“mop”), Low German Dweel (“towel”), Old English þwǣle (“band; ribbon; fillet”), Old English þwēan (“to wash”).
- To dry by using a towel.
“He got out of the shower and toweled himself dry.”
- To hit with a towel.
- To block up (a door, etc.) with a towel, to conceal the fumes of a recreational drug.
“We would open the windows, towel the door, and turn my bedroom into an Allman Brothers concert.”
- To beat with a stick, or "oaken towel".