kettle
verb/ˈketl/
/ˈketl/
(especially British English)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they kettle | /ˈketl/ /ˈketl/ |
| he / she / it kettles | /ˈketlz/ /ˈketlz/ |
| past simple kettled | /ˈketld/ /ˈketld/ |
| past participle kettled | /ˈketld/ /ˈketld/ |
| -ing form kettling | /ˈketlɪŋ/ /ˈketlɪŋ/ |
- kettle somebody (of the police) to keep a group of people who are taking part in a demonstration or protest held in an area with no easy way out, in order to make them behave in a peaceful way again
- Hundreds of protesters were kettled at the start of the demonstration.
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.
Check pronunciation:
kettle