- a container with a lid, a handle and a spout, used for boiling water
- an electric kettle
- (British English) I'll put the kettle on (= start boiling some water) and make some tea.
- I'll just boil the kettle.
- She made herself a sandwich while she waited for the kettle to boil.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- electric
- fill
- plug in
- put on
- …
- boil
- sing
- whistle
- …
Word OriginOld English cetel, cietel, of Germanic origin, based on Latin catillus, diminutive of catinus ‘deep container for cooking or serving food’. In Middle English the word's form was influenced by Old Norse ketill.
Idioms
See kettle in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarya different kettle of fish
- (informal) a completely different situation or person from the one previously mentioned
the pot calling the kettle black
- (saying, informal) used to say that you should not criticize somebody for a fault that you have yourself
Check pronunciation:
kettle