• vt. 削；削減；切；削弱
• vi. 削；削木頭；弄壞身體
• n. 屠刀
• n. (Whittle)人名；(英)惠特爾

可能來自whet,磨，使鋒利。

whittle (v.)

1550s, "to cut thin shavings from (something) with a knife," from Middle English whittel "a knife," especially a large one (c. 1400), variant of thwittle (late 14c.), from Old English twitan "to cut," from Proto-Germanic *thwit- (cognates: Old Norse tveita "to hew"), from PIE root *twei- "to agitate, shake, toss." Figurative sense is attested from 1746. Related: Whittled; whittling.

1. The president has agreed to whittle down his proposal.

總統已經同意減少他的提案。

來自柯林斯例句

2. I believe that the Government's general aim is to whittle away the Welfare State.

我認為政府總的目的是要削弱福利國家體制。

來自柯林斯例句

3. Their approach is to whittle away at the evidence to show reasonable doubt.

他們的做法是要削弱證據的說服力以提出合理的質疑。

來自柯林斯例句

4. They are trying to whittle down our salaries.

他們正著手削減我們的薪水.

來自辭典例句

5. He began to whittle away all powers of the government that he did not control.

他開始削弱他所未能控制的一切政府權力.

來自辭典例句