I. ˈtau̇(ə)l noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English towele, towaille, from Old French toaille, of Germanic origin; akin to Old Saxon thwahila, twahila towel, Middle Dutch dwale, dwele, Old High German dwahila, dwehila; akin to Old English thwēal washing, thwēan to wash, Old High German dwahan, Old Norse thvā, Gothic thwahan to wash, Old Prussian twaxtan bath cloth
1. : a piece of absorbent cloth or paper often rectangular in shape for wiping or drying
a bath towel
a dish towel
2. obsolete
a. : napkin 1
b. : a piece of cloth used as a turban or sash
c. : vesperal 2
d. : a cloth held by acolytes or spread over the rails before communicants during the celebration of the Eucharist
II. verb
( toweled also towelled ; toweled also towelled ; toweling also towelling -au̇(ə)liŋ ; towels )
transitive verb
: to rub or dry (as the body) with a towel
toweling hard my hair, face, and the back of my neck — Joseph Conrad
got out of the bath, toweled herself dry — Aldous Huxley
intransitive verb
: to use a towel