wattle
noun
- fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds and mammals
verb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L333479 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈwɒtl̩/ / /ˈwɑtl̩/ / [ˈwɑ.ɾl̩]
noun
Etymology: From Middle English wattel, watel, from Old English watel, watul (“hurdle”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, wind, bend”).
- A construction of branches and twigs woven together to form a wall, barrier, fence, or roof.
“And there the heathen Prince, Arviragus, / Gave him an isle of marsh whereon to build; / And there he built with wattles from the marsh / A little lonely church in days of yore, […]”
- A single twig or rod laid on a roof to support the thatch.
- A wrinkled fold of skin, sometimes brightly coloured, hanging from the neck of birds (such as chicken and turkey) and some lizards.
- A barbel of a fish.
- A decorative fleshy appendage on the neck of a goat.
- Loose hanging skin in the neck of a person.
“The buttons below his waddle open to reveal a ruddy V, tidemark of the sun.”
- Any of several Australian trees and shrubs of the genus Acacia, or their bark, used in tanning, seen as a national emblem of Australia.
“The tents and sheets are made of the best Canadian duck, tanned for the purpose of preservation with a strong extract of iron-bark and wattle-bark.”
- An ear (organ of hearing).
“"Tip me your wattles, my pal, and touch my whids, or I'll make you whindle like a kinchin," give me your ears and take my words, or I'll make you snivel like a child.”
“Wat. A hare, from his wattles, i. e. long ears.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English wattel, watel, from Old English watel, watul (“hurdle”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, wind, bend”).
- To construct a wattle, or make a construction of wattles.
- To bind with wattles or twigs.