Link Centre Dictionary

heckle

UK/ˈhɛkəl/ US/ˈhɛkəl] ~ [ˈhɛkl̩/ rare
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

a comb for separating flax fibers

Synonyms

verb

1.

comb with a heckle

  • “heckle hemp or flax”
Synonyms
2.

Origin

Transferred usage of Middle English hekelen (“to comb flax or hemp with a heckle”), from hekele (“a comb for flax or hemp”), from Middle Dutch hekelen (“to prickle, irritate”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakilōn, from Proto-Germanic *hakilōną, related to *hakô (“hook”). Related to hackle.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.