# fettle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɛtl̩/ · frequency rank #97,023

## Definitions
1. A state of physical condition; kilter or trim.
2. One's mental state; spirits.
3. Sand used to line a furnace.
4. A seam line left by the meeting of mould pieces.
5. The act of fettling.
6. A person's mood or state, often assuming the worst.

## Etymology
From Late Middle English fetlen (“(verb) to bestow; to fix, prepare, put in place; to prepare (oneself) for battle, gird up; to shape; to be about to, or to ready (oneself) to stay; (adjective) shaped (well or poorly)”) [and other forms], which possibly:
* from Old English fetel (“belt, girdle, fettle”), from Proto-Germanic *fatilaz, further etymology unknown; or
* from Old English fetian (“to fetch”), from Proto-Germanic *fatōną, *fatjaną (“to fetch”), from Proto-Indo-European *ped- (“foot”).
Compare Old English ġefetelsod (“provided with a belt; trimmed, polished, ornamented”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fettle