trowel

C1 Topic:Tools, Machines & Construction

US /ˈtraʊəl/ UK /ˈtraʊəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #41524

Meanings

1

noun
a mason's hand tool with a flat metal blade, used to spread and shape mortar or plaster

The mason smoothed the fresh mortar with a steel trowel.
2

noun
a small garden tool with a curved, scoop-shaped blade for digging and moving soil

Use a hand trowel to make a shallow hole for each seedling.
3

verb
to apply, spread, or smooth a substance with a trowel

Workers troweled plaster over the repaired wall.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a mason's hand tool with a... mason's trowel

2 noun · a small garden tool with a... hand trowelgarden trowel

3 verb · to apply, spread, or smooth... spread smooth

Word family

Forms trowels

Derived forms pointing trowel

Related forms mortar plaster masonry gardening

Common collocations

garden trowel Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English trowel through Old French truelle, from Late Latin truella, a diminutive of Latin trua, 'ladle.' The scoop-like shape explains the transfer from a small ladle to a builder's or gardener's tool.

Topics

Tools, Machines & Construction

External links

# trowel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈtraʊəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈtraʊəl/
**Frequency rank:** 41524

## Meanings
1. a mason's hand tool with a flat metal blade, used to spread and shape mortar or plaster
2. a small garden tool with a curved, scoop-shaped blade for digging and moving soil
3. to apply, spread, or smooth a substance with a trowel

## Examples
- The mason smoothed the fresh mortar with a steel trowel.
- Use a hand trowel to make a shallow hole for each seedling.
- Workers troweled plaster over the repaired wall.

## Synonyms
- mason's trowel
- hand trowel
- garden trowel

## Derived Forms
- pointing trowel

## Related Forms
- mortar
- plaster
- masonry
- gardening

## Etymology
From Middle English trowel through Old French truelle, from Late Latin truella, a diminutive of Latin trua, 'ladle.' The scoop-like shape explains the transfer from a small ladle to a builder's or gardener's tool.

## Topics
- Tools, Machines & Construction

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