toaille

Old French

Alternative forms

• tuaille, touaille, tuaile, touaile, towelle

Etymology

Early Medieval Latin toallia, from Frankish *þwahilu (“cloth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tuˈaʎə/

Noun

toaille oblique singular, f (oblique plural toailles, nominative singular toaille, nominative plural toailles)

1. towel (cloth used for washing or drying)
   • c. 1176, Chrétien de Troyes, Cligès:

     Li un ont les toailles prises

     Some took the towels

Descendants

• Franc-Comtois: tiuaille, tiueille, tuâye, kyẅeyu
• Middle French: touaille, toaille, touelle, tuaille
  • French: touaille
• Picard: touaîye (Athois), duelle
• → Middle English: towayle, towaile, towelle, towell, towel, towail, towaille, tueil, touwayle, touel, twaile, tuell, touayl, touwayl, towayl, twayle, tawale, tewayll, toual, twaylle, towylle
  • English: towel (see there for further descendants)
  • Scots: toul, tool, tooel
  • → Irish: tuáille