ettle means intention; intent; aim. It carries an Arena rating of 1655, earned across 12 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ettle ranks #3,722 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #5,289 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #5,316 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #5,388 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
ettle is pronounced /ˈɛtl/.
Why “ettle” is a great word
To form a firm intention or to direct one’s course toward a purpose. From Middle English etlien, atlien, from Old Norse ætla (“to think, mean, suppose, intend, purpose”), from Proto-Germanic *ahtalōną (“to strive, think”), from Proto-Indo-European *ok- (“to think, intend, purpose”). Earliest known use in Middle English. Unlike the neutral “intend” or the target-fixated “aim,” “ettle” marries resolve to the very act of moving. It is the shepherd plotting a course over the fell by the lie of the land, the steadying hand on the chisel before the first chip of stone, the quiet turning of the mind toward a distant shore—the humble architecture of a willed existence, built before the first deed is done.
Etymology
From Middle English etlien, atlien, from Old Norse ætla (“to think, mean, suppose, intend, purpose”), from Proto-Germanic *ahtalōną (“to strive, think”), from Proto-Indo-European *ok- (“to think, intend, purpose”). Cognate with regional Swedish ättla (“to count, reckon”). Some Middle English forms perhaps remodelled after Old English eaht.
noun
- Intention; intent; aim.
verb
- To propose, intend.
- To direct one's course, to head.e.g.“The Siloam nosed and ettled into the grey sprawl of waves and sent up arcs of swift stinging spray.” — 1972, George Mackay Brown, Greenvoe, Polygon, published 2019, page 39:
- To direct (something) to or at someone or something; to aim at.
- To strive, to try.
- To earn.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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