n.
Pronunciation: ' sh ə -t ə l
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English shittle, shutle, from Old English scutel, scytel dart; akin to Old Norse skutill bolt, Old English sc ē otan to shoot ― more at SHOOT
Date: 14th century
1 a : a device used in weaving for passing the thread of the weft between the threads of the warp b : a spindle-shaped device holding the thread in tatting, knotting, or netting c : a sliding thread holder for the lower thread of a sewing machine that carries the lower thread through a loop of the upper thread to make a stitch
2 : SHUTTLECOCK
3 a : a going back and forth regularly over an often short route by a vehicle b (1) : an established route used in a shuttle (2) : a vehicle used in a shuttle <a shuttle bus> c : SPACE SHUTTLE
– shut · tle · less adjective