tiller

¹

[ til-er ]

noun

1. a person who tills; farmer.
2. a person or thing that tills; cultivator.

tiller

²

[ til-er ]

noun

, Nautical.

1. a bar or lever fitted to the head of a rudder, for turning the rudder in steering.

tiller

³

[ til-er ]

noun

1. a plant shoot that springs from the root or bottom of the original stalk.
2. a sapling.

verb (used without object)

1. (of a plant) to put forth new shoots from the root or around the bottom of the original stalk.

tiller

¹

/ ˈtɪlə /

noun

1. nautical a handle fixed to the top of a rudderpost to serve as a lever in steering it

tiller

²

/ ˈtɪlə /

noun

1. a shoot that arises from the base of the stem in grasses
2. a less common name for sapling

verb

1. intr (of a plant) to produce tillers

Derived Forms

• ˈtillerless, adjective

Other Words From

• tiller·less adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tiller¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tiller(e), tiliere; till ², -er ¹

Origin of tiller²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English teler, telor, tiler(e) “the stock of a crossbow or firearm; tiller (for a boat),” from Old French telier, teiler “weaver's beam,” from Medieval Latin tēlārium, equivalent to Latin tēl(a) “cloth being woven on a loom; loom; plan, design” + -ārium -ary

Origin of tiller³

First recorded before 1000; Old English telgor, tealgor “twig, shoot,” (not recorded in Middle English ); akin to Old English telga “branch, bough,” Old Norse tjalga “twig, branch,” Dutch telg

Word History and Origins

Origin of tiller¹

C14: from Anglo-French teiler beam of a loom, from Medieval Latin tēlārium, from Latin tēla web

Origin of tiller²

Old English telgor twig; related to Icelandic tjalga branch

Example Sentences

"The Welsh government's hand was on the tiller and they should have made sure that this had been dealt with much more effectively and much more swiftly."

From BBC

It would have worked if supply and demand were holding the tiller.

From Salon

“All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said.

From Seattle Times

The captain managed to use the nose wheel tiller to keep the plane near the runway centerline until the pedals unstuck.

From Seattle Times

Bioturbators, often referred to as 'tillers of the soil', play an important role in determining nutrient availability and providing food and shelter for many species.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• grower
• laborer
• peasant
• producer
• rancher