Shovel

How to spell shovel

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce shovel

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does shovel mean?

1. nounA handheld tool with a broad blade and a long handle, used for lifting and moving loose material such as earth, snow, or coal.
2. verbTo lift and move loose material using a broad-bladed tool, or to move something in large quantities.

Shovel in a sentence

• noun

  He leaned the shovel against the shed after clearing the path.

• verb

  They had to shovel snow off the driveway before work.

• noun

  A sturdy shovel makes light work of the gravel pile.

• verb

  The workers began to shovel sand into the wheelbarrow.

Where does shovel come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word comes from the Old English scofl, the name for a digging tool, which was closely tied to the verb scufan, meaning 'to push or thrust away'. The connection is logical, since a shovel is essentially a tool for pushing and lifting loose material, and the same root survives in the modern verb 'shove'. The word has solid Germanic roots, with relatives such as the Dutch schoffel and the German Schaufel, both naming similar implements. Over the centuries the spelling settled with the unstressed second syllable written -el, even though it sounds like a faint 'uhl', which is where the only real spelling uncertainty lies. By the medieval period the form was close to the one we use today, and it has named both the tool and the action of moving earth or snow ever since.

How the word is built

• shov- (from Old English scofl, related to 'shove')
• -el (instrumental noun suffix denoting a tool)