What does trowel mean?
A trowel is a small hand tool with a short handle and a pointed or flat blade. Gardeners use it to dig small holes, loosen soil, remove weeds, and transplant seedlings, while masons and decorators use similar tools to spread, apply, and smooth mortar, plaster, or paint. As a verb, “to trowel” means to put down or shape a material with a trowel. The word is familiar in both British and American English and has a practical, craft-oriented character. Although it may sound modest, a trowel is essential to many precise tasks: it helps a gardener protect delicate roots and allows a mason to create an even, secure bed of mortar. Its compact size and pointed or flattened blade make it especially useful where a larger shovel or brush would be too clumsy.
A small hand tool with a handle and a pointed or flat metal blade, used for digging, planting, and spreading or smoothing materials such as soil, mortar, and plaster.
"He dug a narrow hole with a trowel before placing the rose bush inside it."
The blade's shape and intended use vary by trade, especially between garden, masonry, and decorating tools.
To apply, spread, or smooth a material such as mortar, plaster, soil, or paint using a trowel.
"The plasterer troweled the mixture across the wall until the surface was even."
This is a practical verb associated especially with gardening, masonry, and decorating.
The standard plural is “trowels.”
"The workers laid out their trowels and other masonry tools on the drop cloth."
The same trowel that plants a seedling can also smooth a mason's mortar, joining gardening and building in one surprisingly versatile tool.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trowel come from?
The English word descends from Middle English trowel and Old English trēowele, a diminutive of trēow, meaning “tool” or “implement.” It is cognate with Dutch troel and German Trulle. The related French word truelle belongs to a Romance group of forms associated with the Latin word trulla, a small ladle or scoop.
Related word forms
How trowel is actually used
In gardening, “trowel” usually refers to a small digging and planting tool. In construction and decorating, it can refer to a flatter masonry or plastering tool. The verb is less common in everyday speech and is chiefly used in gardening, building, and decorating contexts.