Throstle
/ˈθrɒs.əl/noun
A song thrush, or a machine with a twisting or spinning action.
Did you know?In English dialects, *throstle* is an old name for the song thrush, and the same word was later borrowed for a spinning machine because of its whirring, twisting motion.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
þrostle
“song thrush”
Middle English
ME
throstle
“song thrush”
16th Century
English
throstle
“a bird with a thrush-like song; later a dialect word for the song thrush”
18th Century
English
throstle
“a spinning frame or machine, named for its whirring action”
Modern English
English
throstle
“a song thrush; also a historical term for a spinning machine”
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