/ ˈspætʃələ; NAmE / noun
1.
a tool with a broad flat blade used for mixing and spreading things, especially in cooking and painting
—picture at laboratory
2.
( especially NAmE ) = fish slice
3.
( BrE ) ( NAmE ˈtongue depressor ) a thin flat instrument that doctors use for pressing the tongue down when they are examining sb's throat
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WORD ORIGIN
early 16th cent.: from Latin , variant of spathula , diminutive of spatha , from Greek spathē broad blade.