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Added 10 October 2026

towel

/ˈtaʊ̯əl/ noun

In Latin: mantēle Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about towel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

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

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.

Origin

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”).

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

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