ket·tle (k?t?l)n.1. A metal pot, usually with a lid, for boiling or stewing.2. A teakettle.3. Music A kettledrum.4. Geology A depression left in a mass of glacial drift, formed by the melting of an isolated block of glacial ice.5. A pothole.[Middle English ketel, from Old Norse ketill and Old English cetel, both from Latin cat?llus, diminutive of cat?nus, large bowl.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.kettle (?k?t?l) n1. a metal or plastic container with a handle and spout for boiling water2. any of various metal containers for heating liquids, cooking fish, etc3. a large metal vessel designed to withstand high temperatures, used in various industrial processes such as refining and brewing4. (Law) informal Brit an enclosed space formed by a police cordon in order to contain people involved in a public demonstration 5. (Physical Geography) short for kettle holevb (Law) (tr) informal Brit (of a police force) to contain (people involved in a public demonstration) in an enclosed space[C13: from Old Norse ketill; related to Old English cietel kettle, Old High German kezzil; all ultimately from Latin catillus a little pot, from cat?nus pot]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014ket?tle (?k?t l) n. 1. a container, usu. of metal, in which to boil liquids, cook foods, etc.; pot. 2. teakettle. 3. kettledrum. 4. kettle hole. 5. a gathering of soaring birds, as vultures, utilizing circular updrafts of warm air to gain elevation. [1300?50; Middle English ketel