Forms: see below. [ME. towaille, -aile, etc., a. OF. toaille (Wace, 12th c.), toaile, mod.F. touaille = Pr. toalha, Cat. tovalla, Sp. toalla, Pg. toalha, It. tovaglia (whence F., in spec. sense, tavaïolle); in med.L. toacula, toailla, tovalia, toualia, etc., from the mod. langs.: f. WGer. *þwahljô (Kluge), OHG. dwahilla, -ila, cloth for washing or wiping (MHG. dwähele, twähele, dwêle, Ger. dial. zwehle napkin), f. OHG. dwahan, twahan (OS. thwahan, Goth. þwahan, OE. þwéan to wash, pwéal (Goth. þwahl washing).]
1. A cloth, usually of linen or hemp, for wiping something dry, esp. for wiping the hands, face, or person after washing or bathing. Also formerly more widely, including a table-napkin or other cloth used at meals.
Often with prefix indicating its particular use, as bath-, dish-, face-, glass-towel.
α. 3–5 towaille, 4 touwayle, (thoayle, thoyale), 4–5 towaile, -ayle, 5 tow-, touaylle, towail, -ayl, -ayle (tavayle).
a. 1300. Floriz & Bl., 563. Þat oþer bringe towaille and bacin For to wasse his honden in.
13[?]. Sir Beues (A.), 3220. On a towaile ȝhe [= she] made knotte riding.
13[?]. Shoreham, i. 1387. Þo hym wyþ a schete [marg. touwayle] ihesus After soper bygerte.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Monk’s T., 755. And Phebus eek a fair towaille [v.rr. towayle, towail, towale, towel] hym broughte To dryen hym with.
1395. Will of Thornholm (Comm. Crt. London). Thoayle wt a blak lyst, borthcloth cum vna thoyale accordyngg.
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), xxiii. 250. Whan þei han eten, þei wypen hire hondes vpon hire skirtes, for þei vse non naperye, ne towaylles.
c. 1435. Chron. London (Kingsford, 1905), 18. The goode Duk off Gloucetre … was ffoule mordred at Caleys with ij Tovaylles … putte aboute his nekke.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 498/2. Towayl (H. towayle or tavayle) … manitergium.
c. 1450. Merlin, 225. The maiden her-silf wosh his visage … and dried it full softely with a towaile.
1480. Wardr. Acc. Edw. IV. (1830), 131. Towails playne vj.
β. 3 towele, 4–5 touel, 4–6 towelle, -ail, 4–7 towell, (5 toual, towale, towylle, 6 touall, towle); 4– towel.
1284[?]. Toweles [see 2].
13[?]. Seuyn Sag. (W.), 3877. Thai set forth water and towell, Herkens now, how if befell!
13[?]. Touel [see quot. a. 1300 in γ].
1378. in Test. Karl. (1893), 118. ij lectos, ij dorclaes, ij towels.
1387–8. T. Usk, Test. Love, II. ii. (Skeat), l. 62. On his meate borde there shall been borde clothes and towelles many paire.
1407–8. Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 607. liiij uln. panni linei emp. … pro towales.
1466. Maldon, Essex, Crt.-Rolls (Bundle 42, No. 6), Towylles.
1542. Towle [see 2].
1557. Lanc. Wills (Chetham Soc.), I. 71. The best bason and ewer and also the best towall.
15[?]. in Laneham’s Lett. (1871), Pref. 31. Ane touall off Alifyne.
1609. B. Jonson, Sil. Wom., IV. v. I will strangle him in this towell.
a. 1658. Cleveland, Mary’s Spikenard, 31. For a Towel he shall have My hair, such flax as nature gave.
1718. Lady M. W. Montagu, Lett. to C’tess of Mar, 10 March. After dinner, water was brought in a gold basin, and towels of the same kind of the napkins.
1808. Med. Jrnl., XIX. 112. His body to be well rubbed by two persons with coarse towels.
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 563. Wading across to the bank, I wring out my skirts, but what is life without a towel?
γ. 4 tueil, 4–5 tuel, -ell, 5 tuayl(e, -ale, tewelle, 5–6 tewell, (8–9 Sc. and north. dial. tooel, tool).
a. 1300. Cursor M., 15285 (Cott.). Wit a tuell he belted him [G. tuel, F. touel, T. twaile]. Ibid., 15299. Wit his tueil efterward Þair fete he weped clene.
c. 1450. Brut, ccxli. 352. Þai … caste þe tewellys aboute þe Dukis nek … and þan þei drowen her towellis eche wayez.
1494. in Somerset Medieval Wills (1901), 323. A Mete cloth and iij tuels.
1496. Tuell, 1904 Tewell [see 2].
1727. P. Walker, Life R. Cameron, in Biog. Presbyt. (1827), I. 202. He dried his face and hands with a Tool.
1905. Eng. Dial. Dict., s.v., Westmld. Tooel.
δ. 3–4 twayle, 5 twaylle, twaile, 6 twell.
a. 1300. Twayle [see 2].
a. 1375. Joseph Arim., 285. Þenne comen two Angeles wiþ twayles white.
a. 1425. Twaile [see quot. a. 1300 in γ].
1507. Twell [see 2].
ε. 5 towaly, twaly, tualy.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 498/2. Towayl, or towaly (S. twaly…. A. tuayl or tualy), manitergium.
2. Applied to cloths for various other purposes. a. Eccl. A cloth, either of linen for use at communion, or of silk or other rich material for covering the altar at other times; also, a communion-cloth (see quot. 1737, and quot. 1866 s.v. COMMUNION 8). Cf. F. tavaïolle. ? Obs.
1284[?]. in Shropsh. Archæol. Soc. Trans. (1878), I. 358. Item ij. Toweles pro ij. altariis cum apparatu precii xij s. iiij d.
a. 1300. in Hearne, Collect., 18 April, II. 187. Tham that this Cherche, honour with book, with bell, with vestiments, with twayle.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), V. 11. No womman schulde handle þe towayles of þe auȝter.
1474. Will of Selly (Somerset Ho.). Howseling towell.
1496. Croscombe Churchw. Acc. (Som. Rec. Soc.), 21. A tuell of dyapper. Ibid. (1504), 27. ij tewells. Ibid. (1507), 29. A twell of dyaper.
1542. in Archæologia, XLVI. 217. Paid for a new dextclothe & a towle xj d.
c. 1550. in Labarte’s Arts Mid. Ages, ii. (1855), 91. A blest towell for the high altar, of black silk.
1623. Primer, in Month, Oct. (1911), 349. If any be to communicate at Mass, the Servitour after the Priest hath taken the Chalice and before he purifieth it, spreadeth a towel or a white vele before them and then sayeth Confiteor Deo in their name.
1737. Challoner, Cath. Chr. Instr. (1753), 66. Such of the people as are to communicate,… taking the Towel, hold it before their Breasts, in such Manner, that, if in communicating, it should happen that any Particle should fall, it may … be received upon the Towel.
† b. A cloth used as a part of dress, e.g., as a head-dress, a girdle, etc. Obs.
a. 1366[?]. Chaucer, Rom. Rose, 161. Hir heed y-writhen was, y-wis, Ful grymly with a greet towayle.
1485. Caxton, Paris & V. (1868), 20. Mantellys and towellys.
1582. N. Lichefield, trans. Castanheda’s Conq. E. Ind., I. xii. 29 b. The King of Mylynde came … to our Fleete, apparelled in a Cassocke of Crimson Damaske, lined with greene satten, hauing vpon his head a rich towell.
1615. G. Sandys, Trav., 63. Shashes are long towels of Callico wound about their heads.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 146. The coat … ingirted with a towell of silke and gold eight or nine yards long.
3. slang. Oaken towel, also simply towel, a stick, cudgel (cf. next, 2); lead towel, a bullet.
1739. Joe Miller’s Jests (1745), 73. The Farmer … rear’d his Oaken Towel, and … gave him two … Drubs on the Shoulder.
1748. Smollett, Rod. Rand., ii. I shall rub you down with an oaken towel.
1756. Toldervy, Hist. 2 Orphans, II. 128. Brandishing his stick [he] cried aloud, ‘this towel … should bastinado the bones of that rascal Tom Throw.’
1812. H. & J. Smith, Rej. Addr., G. Barnwell, vi. Make Nunky surrender his dibs, Rub his pate with a pair of lead towels.
1815. Hist. Jn. Decastro, I. 24. Old Crab … raising his oaken towel gave the door three bangs that shook the garrets.
4. attrib. and Comb., as towel-coffer, friction, -maker, -room, -warmer; towel-gourd, a name for Luffa ægyptiaca and L. acutangula, also called sponge-gourd or washing-gourd, the fibrous inner layer of the fruit being used in washing like a towel or sponge (cf. LOOFAH); towel-horse, a wooden frame or stand on which towels are hung; towel-pattern (Wood-carving) = linen-scroll: see LINEN B. 5; towel-rack (see quot.); towel-roller, a horizontal roller on which an ‘endless’ towel (roller- or round-towel) is hung.
c. 1400. Sc. Troy-bk., I. 375. Cowpis out brought of golde sa clere, One *towalle burdys arayit & drest.
1891. G. Meredith, One of our Conq., ix. The oaken *towel-coffer.
1898. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., V. 1031. Spongings … followed by dry *towel friction.
1872. Oliver, Elem. Bot., II. 176. The fibrous inner layer of the pericarp of the *Towel-Gourd … is used as sponge and gun-wadding.
1860. H. F. Tozer, in Vac. Tour., 386. Hay hanging to dry on large hurdles strongly resembling a gigantic *towel-horse.
(Cf. 1541. Aberdeen Regr., XVII. (Jam.). Ane towall ross of aik worcht v ss.)
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 67. The damp towel on which you have just wiped your wet hands does not stand long on the towel-horse before it becomes dry again.
1591. Percivall, Sp. Dict., Mantelero, a *towell maker.
1877. Knight, Dict. Mech., *Towel-rack, a frame or rod on which to hang towels to dry.
1833. Loudon, Encycl. Archit., § 609. A *Towel Roller ought to be placed on the back of the kitchen-door of every cottage.
a. 1619. Fletcher, Wit without M., IV. v. Allow you but a *towel-room to tipple in.
1884. Health Exhib. Catal., 94/2. Hot linen closet, and *towel warmer.
