I. scut ‧ tle 1 /ˈskʌtl/ BrE AmE verb
[ Sense 1: Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: Probably from scud + shuttle ]
[ Sense 2,3: Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: scuttle 'opening in the side of a ship' (15-21 centuries) , probably from Old Spanish escotilla ]
1 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move quickly with short steps, especially because you are afraid and do not want to be noticed:
A little lizard scuttled across the path.
2 . [transitive] American English to ruin or end someone’s plans or chance of being successful – used especially in news reports SYN scupper British English :
The incident threatens to scuttle the peace process.
3 . [transitive] to sink a ship by making holes in the bottom, especially in order to prevent it being used by an enemy
II. scuttle 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: scutella 'drinking bowl' , from scutra 'large plate' ]
a container for carrying coal