towel

CEFRA1

/ˈtaʊ̯əl/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A piece of cloth used for drying something.

  2. 02

    verb

    To dry something with a towel.

Examples

  • Bring me a dry towel.

  • Help yourself to a clean towel.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
1

Also pronounced

  • [ˈtʰaʊ̯l̩]
  • /ˈtæʊ̯əl/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. To dry by using a towel.

  2. To hit with a towel.

  3. A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, such as a person after a bath.

More examples

In context

  • I'll bring one more towel.

  • He got out of the shower and toweled himself dry.

  • He needed a towel for wiping the slippery floor.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After swimming in the pool, she dried herself with a clean blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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”).