/ ˈtaʊəl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
a piece of cloth or paper used for drying things, especially your body :
Help yourself to a clean towel.
a hand / bath towel (= a small / large towel)
a beach towel (= a large towel used for lying on in the sun)
a kitchen towel (= a piece of paper from a roll that you use to clean up liquid, etc. in the kitchen)
—see also paper towel , sanitary towel , tea towel
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IDIOMS
- throw in the towel
■ verb
( -ll- , NAmE also -l- ) [ vn ] towel yourself / sb / sth (down) to dry yourself/sb/sth with a towel
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French toaille , of Germanic origin. The current sense of the verb dates from the mid 19th cent.