Skip to the word

Added 10 October 2026

scuttle

/ˈskʌt.l̩/ noun

Latin root: scutella Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about scuttle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Container for coal; shaped to permit pouring the coal onto the fire.
An entrance equipped with a hatch; especially a passageway between decks of a ship.

verb

To move about or proceed hurriedly.
so terrified by the extraordinary ebbing of the sea that they scurried to higher ground

Origin

From Middle English scuttel, scutel, from Old English scutel (“dish, platter”), from Latin scutella, diminutive form of Latin scutra (“flat tray, dish”), perhaps related to Latin scutum (“shield”); compare Dutch schotel and German Schüssel.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word