trowel
UK: ˈtraʊəl | US: ˈtraʊəl
n. a small handheld tool with a flat, pointed blade, used for applying or smoothing mortar or plaster
n. a similar tool with a curved blade, used in gardening for lifting plants or scooping soil
The word "trowel" traces back to Old French truele or truelle, derived from Latin trulla, meaning "small scoop" or "ladle." The Latin term itself is a diminutive of trua (a stirring spoon). Over time, the word evolved in Middle English to describe the handheld tool used in masonry and gardening. The morpheme trow preserves the core idea of a tool, while -el acts as a diminutive suffix, emphasizing its small, handheld nature.
The mason spread the mortar evenly with his trowel.
She used a gardening trowel to transplant the seedlings.
A rusty trowel lay forgotten in the shed.
He carefully smoothed the concrete with the edge of the trowel.
The archaeologist brushed away dirt with a small trowel.