▪ I. ickle, n. Obs. exc. dial.
(ˈɪk(ə)l)
Forms: α. 1 ᵹecilæ, -e, ᵹicel, 4 ychele, 5 ikyl, iekyll, 7 icle, 8 iccle, 6– ickle. β. 5 yokle. See also icicle.
[OE. *ᵹiecel (ᵹicel, ᵹycel), ᵹecilæ, cognate with ON. jǫkull icicle, ice, glacier (mod.Icel. jökull glacier, Norw. dial. jukel, jukul, j{obar}kul icicle):—OTeut. types *jekulo-z, *jikilo-z, f. OTeut. *jekon-, in ON. jaki piece of ice: cf. OIr. aig ice.]
= icicle. Also transf.
| a 700 Epinal Gloss. 954 Stiria, ᵹecilae [Erfurt ᵹecile]. a 1000 (tr. Bæda) Be Domes Dæᵹe 191 Se þrece ᵹicela [Wulfstan Hom. xxix. (Napier 138) ᵹycela] swiðe hat and ceald. c 1000 [see icicle 1]. c 1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in Wright Voc. 161 Un esclarcyl, an ychele. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 259/1 Ikyl (W. ickyll), stiria. 1500 Ortus Voc., Stiria..a ȝokyll. 1570 Levins Manip. 125/6 Ickles, stiriæ. 1676 Hodgson in Phil. Trans. XI. 766 From the roof of which hang large lumps of petrified water, like Icles,..these icles are good Limestone. a 1687 Cotton Joys of Marriage 14 Be she constant, be she fickle, Be she fire, or be she ickle. 1828 Craven Dial., Ickles, isicles; water ickles, stalactites. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Ickles, icicles. |
▪ II. ickle, a.
(ˈɪk(ə)l)
A hypocoristic form of little a.: in childish use. Also ˈickly.
| 1846 Dickens Dombey (1848) i. 5, I came down from seeing dear Fanny, and that tiddy ickle sing. 1905 E. M. Forster Where Angels fear to Tread viii. 278 Good ickle quiet boysey, then. 1906 E. Dyson Fact'ry 'Ands xiv. 184 Oo's mummy's ickle sly-boots, oo is—oo is! Baby's a baddy baddy 'icky bubb-bubb. 1936 ‘G. Orwell’ Keep Aspidistra Flying i. 26 A Peke, the ickle angel pet, wiv his gweat big Soulful eyes and his ickle black nosie—oh so ducky-duck! 1937 R. Macaulay I would be Private i. i. 19 Was it a nice ickly boy, then? 1968 ‘P. Hobson’ Titty's Dead xi. 121 She changed her role. Now she was Daddy's ickle girl. |
▪ III. ickle, ickwell
see hickwall.