shovel
noun /ˈʃʌvl/
/ˈʃʌvl/
- a tool like a spade with a long handle and a broad metal part with curved edges, used for moving earth, snow, sand, etc.
enlarge image
- workmen with picks and shovels
- (North American English) The children took their pails and shovels to the beach.
- the part of a large machine or vehicle that digs or moves earth
Word OriginOld English scofl, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schoffel, German Schaufel, also to the verb shove.