Definition of LADLE

ladle

Plural: ladles

Noun

  • a spoon-shaped vessel with a long handle; frequently used to transfer liquids from one container to another
  • A deep-bowled spoonlike utensil with a long, usually curved, handle.
  • A container used in a foundry to transport and pour out molten metal.
  • The float of a mill wheel; a ladle board.
  • An instrument for drawing the charge of a cannon.
  • A ring, with a handle or handles fitted to it, for carrying shot.

Verb

Verb Forms: ladled, ladling, ladles

  • To scoop or lift out with a large deep spoon.
  • put (a liquid) into a container by means of a ladle
    • "ladle soup into the bowl"
  • remove with or as if with a ladle
    • "ladle the water out of the bowl"
  • To pour or serve something with a ladle.

Examples

  • He decided to LADLE out high-scoring words, hoping to overwhelm his Scrabble opponent.
  • One worker ladled molten steel into the shot sleeve.
  • The host ladled the soup into her guests' bowls.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English ladel, from Old English hlædel, derived from Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną (“to load”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂- (“to put, lay out”), same source as Lithuanian kloti (“to spread”), equivalent to lade + -le (“agent suffix”).

Synonyms

lade, laden, dipper

Scrabble Score: 6

ladle: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
ladle: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
ladle: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

ladle: valid Words With Friends Word