I. ˈkəjəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English kuggel, from Old English cycgel; akin to Middle Dutch cōghele stick with a rounded end, Middle High German kugele ball, Old High German coccho rounded ship, Lithuanian gugà pommel, hump, hill; basic meaning: ball; akin to Old English cot cottage, den — more at cot
1. : a short heavy stick that is shorter than a quarterstaff and is used as an instrument of punishment or a weapon
2. cudgels plural : cudgel play
II. transitive verb
( cudgeled or cudgelled ; cudgeled or cudgelled ; cudgeling or cudgelling -j(ə)liŋ ; cudgels )
: to beat with or as if with a cudgel : belabor , thrash , drub , rack
cudgeled his brains for a rhyme