Whimble
/ˈwɪm.bəl/noun
An obsolete or dialectal term for a wimble, a hand tool used for boring holes.
Did you know?Whimble is chiefly a spelling variant of wimble, an old boring tool, and its history belongs to the practical vocabulary of preindustrial carpentry rather than occult symbolism.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic period
Germanic
*wembilaz
“A tool associated with boring or turning; the reconstructed ancestor proposed for later Germanic forms.”
Medieval period
Old Norse
vembill
“A boring tool or auger-like implement.”
Middle English
Middle English
wimble / wimbel
“A hand tool for boring holes.”
15th–16th Century
English
wimble
“A carpenter’s or boring instrument, also used as a verb meaning “to bore.””
Modern English
English
whimble
“A rare dialectal or obsolete variant of “wimble.””