[ket.tle] n [ME ketel, fr. ON ketill (akin to OE cietel kettle), both fr. a prehistoric Gmc word borrowed fr. L catillus, dim. of catinus bowl] (13c) 1: a metallic vessel usu. used for boiling liquids; esp: teakettle
2: kettledrum 3 a: pothole 1b b: a steep-sided hollow without surface drainage esp. in a deposit of glacial drift