I. ˈshəvəl noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English scofl; akin to Middle Low German schūfle, schuffele shovel, Old High German scūfla, scūvala, Old Swedish skofl shovel, Old English scūfan to shove — more at shove
1.
a. : a hand implement consisting of a broad scoop or a more or less hollowed out blade with a handle used to lift and throw material (as earth, coal, grain)
b. : a working part in an implement or machine resembling a shovel in shape or use: as
(1) : a working point in a cultivator
(2) : the share of a shovel plow — compare twisted shovel
(3) : spade
c. : an excavating machine
2. : shovel hat
3. : shovelful
4. : a cue used in shuffleboard (sense 2a)
5. : a small abrasive or polishing hand lap used in conjunction with a watchmaker's lathe to finish cylindrical surfaces
6. : the upcurved forward tip of a ski
II. verb
( shoveled or shovelled ; shoveled or shovelled ; shoveling or shovelling -v(ə)liŋ ; shovels )
Etymology: Middle English shovelen, from shovel, n.
transitive verb
1. : to take up and throw with a shovel : turn with a shovel
2. : to dig or clean out (as a ditch) with a shovel
3. : to throw or convey roughly or in the mass as if with a shovel
shoveled his food into his mouth
intransitive verb
: to take up and cast something with a shovel
III. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English shovelen, freq. of shuven, shoven to shove — more at shove
: shuffle