swingle

1 of 2

noun

swin·​gle

ˈswiŋgəl

plural -s

1

: a wooden instrument like a large knife that is about two feet long, has one thin edge, and is used for beating and cleaning flax : scutcher

2

a

: the swiple of a flail

b

: a cudgel resembling a flail

3

: a lever resembling a spoke and used for turning the barrel in wire drawing or the roller of a plate press

swingle

2 of 2

transitive verb

"

swingled; swingled; swingling

-g(ə)liŋ

; swingles

: to clean by beating with a swingle : separate away the coarse and woody parts of : scutch

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English swingel, swengil, from Middle Dutch swinghel, swenghel instrument for beating flax, swipe; akin to Old English swingell whip, rod, blow, swingan to strike, beat

Transitive verb

Middle English swinglen, from Middle Dutch swinghelen, from swinghel swingle

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!