KETTLE

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does kettle mean? 

• KETTLE (noun)
  The noun KETTLE has 4 senses:

1. a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid

2. the quantity a kettle will hold

3. (geology) a hollow (typically filled by a lake) that results from the melting of a mass of ice trapped in glacial deposits

4. a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it

  Familiarity information: KETTLE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• KETTLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

boiler; kettle

Hypernyms ("kettle" is a kind of...):

pot (metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "kettle"):

teakettle (kettle for boiling water to make tea)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The quantity a kettle will hold

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

kettle; kettleful

Hypernyms ("kettle" is a kind of...):

containerful (the quantity that a container will hold)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(geology) a hollow (typically filled by a lake) that results from the melting of a mass of ice trapped in glacial deposits

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

kettle; kettle hole

Hypernyms ("kettle" is a kind of...):

hole; hollow (a depression hollowed out of solid matter)

Domain category:

geology (a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

kettle; kettledrum; timpani; tympani; tympanum

Hypernyms ("kettle" is a kind of...):

percussion instrument; percussive instrument (a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another)

 Context examples 

I was prodding for my food into a camp-kettle when they were howling for their pap.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I took off the kettle and blew out the lamp, for the water was spurting over the floor.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Jip made a comfortable noise, in answer, a little like a tea-kettle when it sings.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

This command was reinforced by a steaming kettle of water, and at sight of it the sailors scrambled out of the way.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

My head’s singin’ like a kettle.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was like a boiling kettle or the bubbling of some great pot.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“That is the same drug that I was always bringing him,” said Poole; and even as he spoke, the kettle with a startling noise boiled over.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The kettle was of brass and shone like gold, so brightly was it polished.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Then suddenly another sound became audible—a very gentle, soothing sound, like that of a small jet of steam escaping continually from a kettle.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The stage was dark and the glow of the furnace had a fine effect, especially as real steam issued from the kettle when the witch took off the cover.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)