towayle

Middle English

Alternative forms

• towaile, towelle, towell, towel, towail, towaille, tueil, touwayle, touel, twaile, tuell, touayl, touwayl, towayl, twayle, tawale, tewayll, toual, twaylle, towylle

Etymology

From Old French toaille, from Medieval Latin toallia, from Frankish *þwahilu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tuːˈ(w)ɛi̯l(ə)/, /təˈwɛi̯l(ə)/, /ˈtuːɛl(ə)/, /ˈtuːəl(ə)/, /ˈtwɛi̯l(ə)/

Noun

towayle (plural towayles)

1. A cloth for washing; a towel or washcloth.
2. A fabric tablecloth cover or protector.
3. A cloth acting as a sieve or strainer.
4. A drape for going over an altar or grave.
5. (surgery) A surgical cloth or cover.
6. A cloth wrap for the neck; a scarf.
7. (rare) A fabric cover for communion wafers.

Descendants

• English: towel
• Scots: toul, tool, tooel
• → Irish: tuáille

References

• “touail, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-07-12.