▪ I. † ˈtutel, n. Obs. rare.
[app. a derivative (with -el1) of tūte, not recorded in Eng. but occurring in MDu. and MLG. and surviving as Du. tuit, WFris. tute, tût, LG. tûte, tüte, etc., spout, lip (of a can), pouting or protruding mouth, etc. (Sw. and Norw. tut, Da. tud, spout, are from LG.) The equivalent formation tutel, tûtel occurs in WFris. in transferred senses.]
The mouth with the lips protruded in the act of whispering. (Cf. next.)
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 74 Þe veond of helle mid his ferd went þurh þe tutel {thbar} is euer open into þe heorte. Ibid. 80 Ne blowe ȝe hire [sc. hope] nout ut mid maðelinde muðe, ne mid ȝeoniinde tuteles. Ibid., 212, & te deouel leieð his tutel adun to his earen, & tuteleð him al þet he euer wule. |
▪ II. † tutel, totel, v. Obs.
Forms: 3–5 tutel, 5 totel, -il, -yl, -ul.
[ME. tutel (from early 13th c.), totel (c 1400), app. from the variant stems tūt- (see prec.) and tōt- (see toot v.1), the former of which occurs in the same sense in older Flemish tuyten (in de oore, Kilian), Du. dial. tuiten, WFris. tûtsje to whisper.]
intr. and trans. To whisper. Hence † tutelinde ppl. a., † tuteling, toteling vbl. n., whispering. (See also tuteler.)
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 106 Þu, uor þe luue of him..dute [= close] þinne tutelinde muð mit þine lippen. Ibid. 212, & te deouel leieð his tutel adun to his earen, & tuteleð him al þet he euer wule. Ibid. 422 Þe ueond beot hire his werc þet ine Godes werke ne wurcheð: and he tuteleð anonrihtes touward hire. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 498/1 Totelon talys (..S. totylyn tale in onys ere), susurro. Totelynge, susurrium. |
▪ III. tutel
obs. var. tootle v.