spurtle

English

Alternative forms

• spirtle
• spertle (obsolete)

Etymology 1

From Scots spurtle, spurtill (“potstick, spatula”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps an alteration of Middle English spatyl, spatule, from Old French espatule (“spatula”). If so, then doublet of spattle and spatula.

Noun

A porridge spurtle.

spurtle (plural spurtles)

1. Either of two Scottish kitchen implements made of wood: a flat one for turning oatcakes, or a stick for stirring porridge.
   • 1997, Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain, London: Hodder and Stoughton, page 311:

     One day they built a fire in the yard and made a black kettle of apple butter so big that when they stood over it and stirred the apple mash with spurtles, the scene put Ada in mind of the witches in Macbeth working at their brew.

Etymology 2

From spirt +‎ -le. According to the Poly-Olbion project, coined by poet Michael Drayton in 1606.

Verb

spurtle (third-person singular simple present spurtles, present participle spurtling, simple past and past participle spurtled)

1. To spurt, spatter or sputter; to spurt in a scattering manner.
   • 1612, Michael Drayton, Poly-Olbion, song 2 p. 29:

     Upon the head hee lent so violent a stroke,
     That the poore emptie skull, like some thin potsheard broke,
     The braines and mingled blood, were spertled on the wall

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (1989)
• The Poly-Olbion project

Anagrams

• Purtles