Word Study
cuttle
CIDE DICTIONARY
cuttle, n. [OF. cultel, coltel, coutel, fr. L. cultellus. See Cutlass.].
A knife. Bale. [1913 Webster]
cuttle, n. [OE. codule, AS. cudele; akin to G. kuttelfish; cf. G. kötel, D. keutel, dirt from the guts, G. kuttel bowels, entrails. AS. cwi womb, Goth. qi belly, womb.].
- A cephalopod of the genus
Sepia , having an internal shell, large eyes, and ten arms furnished with denticulated suckers, by means of which it secures its prey. The name is sometimes applied to dibranchiate cephalopods generally. [1913 Webster]" It has an ink bag, opening into the siphon, from which, when pursued, it throws out a dark liquid that clouds the water, enabling it to escape observation." [1913 Webster] - A foul-mouthed fellow. Shak. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
cuttle, n. = CUTTLEFISH.
Idiom
cuttle-bone the internal shell of the cuttlefish crushed and used for polishing teeth etc. or as a supplement to the diet of a cage-bird.
Etymology
OE cudele, ME codel, rel. to cod bag, with ref. to its ink-bag
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