n.
Function: verb
Inflected Form: whit · tled ; whit · tling \ ' hwit-li ŋ , ' wit-; ' hwi-t ə l-i ŋ , ' wi- \
Date: 1552
transitive verb
1 a : to pare or cut off chips from the surface of (wood) with a knife b : to shape or form by so paring or cutting
2 : to reduce, remove, or destroy gradually as if by cutting off bits with a knife : PARE < whittle down expenses>
intransitive verb
1 : to cut or shape something (as wood) by or as if by paring it with a knife
2 : to wear oneself or another out with fretting
– whit · tler \ ' hwit-l ə r, ' wit-; ' hwi-t ə l- ə r, ' wi- \ noun