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teakettle

teakettle

5 1.4
A pot with a handle and spout for boiling water to make tea
  • noun
  • /ˈtiːˌkɛtəl/
translation icon : tetera
  • " Mom filled the teakettle with water and set it on the stove.
  • teakettle is boiling
  • teakettle whistled
  • teakettle with water

Examples

  • In the kitchen, a teakettle began to whistle.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Shivering and shaking, Jory poured the water from the teakettle into the saucepan and added coffee grounds.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The teakettle was boiling, and she heard the whistle on it.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • In the winter, the teakettle whistled on the stovetop.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The teakettle whistled and she poured hot water over the teabags.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Eric could hear the brush of wet leaves against a windowpane, and the soft whistling of the teakettle beginning to boil.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • It's best for fast cooking—frying up some eggs, boiling a teakettle, that sort of thing.

    Blog text (20)
  • Mom filled the teakettle with water and set it on the stove.

  • In the kitchen, the teakettle whistled, signaling that the water was boiling.

  • I turned on the heat under the teakettle to prepare tea for our guests.

Synonyms

kettle
vsteakettle
34 1.0

A container with a handle and spout for boiling water

is used specifically for boiling water mainly to make tea
billy
vsteakettle
  • Australian
2 7.0

A metal pot used to boil water over a fire

is intended for boiling water mainly for making tea indoors

Idioms

ass over teakettle
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To fall and turn over in a sudden, clumsy way

How Big

boiler
  • Specialized
54 3.4
kettle
34 1.0
teakettle
5 1.4
saucepan
34 1.0

Surface Forms

teakettle singular
teakettles plural

Morphology

teakettle = tea + kettle (transparent) = tea + kettle

The sense is a straightforward compound 'tea' + 'kettle' denoting a kettle used for making tea, which is directly inferable by learners.

Etymology

Teakettle is just the two words tea and kettle put together: a kettle is a pot used 'to boil' water and tea is the hot 'drink' you make with that water. So a teakettle is literally a kettle for making tea, which is why we use it to heat water and often hear it whistle when the water is ready.