shuttle

C1 Topic:Transportation

US /ˈʃʌt.əl/ UK /ˈʃʌt.əl/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like subtle /s/ vs /ʃ/

Freq #5999

Meanings

1

noun
a bus, train, aircraft, or other service that travels regularly between two points

A free shuttle carries passengers between the terminal and the rental-car center.
2

verb
to travel or transport someone repeatedly back and forth between two places

She had to shuttle between the two offices throughout the negotiation.
3

noun
a device that carries the weft thread back and forth through the warp on a loom

The weaver passed the wooden shuttle swiftly across the loom.
4

noun
a shuttlecock used in badminton

The final shuttle landed just inside the back line.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a bus, train, aircraft, or... shuttle servicetransfer

2 verb · to travel or transport... commute ferry transfer

3 noun · a device that carries the... weaving shuttle

4 noun · a shuttlecock used in... shuttlecock birdie

Word family

Forms shuttles

Derived forms shuttlecockshuttlecraftshuttlershuttleless

Related forms commute loom weaving

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

space shuttle
a reusable spacecraft with wings allowing a controlled return through the atmosphere

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Shuttle comes from Old English scytel, “dart” or “missile,” a Germanic word related to Old Norse skutill, “harpoon.” The transport sense developed from the weaving shuttle, which moves back and forth across a loom like a dart.

Etymology

From Middle English shutel and Old English scytel, 'dart, missile, or bolt,' related to shoot. The loom tool was named for being shot across the warp; its repeated back-and-forth motion later inspired the transport and verb senses.

Topics

Transportation

External links

# shuttle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈʃʌt.əl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈʃʌt.əl/
**Frequency rank:** 5999

## Meanings
1. a bus, train, aircraft, or other service that travels regularly between two points
2. to travel or transport someone repeatedly back and forth between two places
3. a device that carries the weft thread back and forth through the warp on a loom
4. a shuttlecock used in badminton

## Examples
- A free shuttle carries passengers between the terminal and the rental-car center.
- She had to shuttle between the two offices throughout the negotiation.
- The weaver passed the wooden shuttle swiftly across the loom.
- The final shuttle landed just inside the back line.

## Synonyms
- transfer
- shuttle service
- shuttlecock

## Derived Forms
- shuttlecock
- shuttlecraft
- shuttler
- shuttleless

## Related Forms
- commute
- loom
- weaving

## Etymology
From Middle English shutel and Old English scytel, 'dart, missile, or bolt,' related to shoot. The loom tool was named for being shot across the warp; its repeated back-and-forth motion later inspired the transport and verb senses.

## Topics
- Transportation

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