Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

in fine fettle

/ɪn ˌfaɪn ˈfɛt(ə)l/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.98 in modern English

Syllables: in fine fet-tle
IPA: /ɪn ˌfaɪn ˈfɛt(ə)l/

18

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

In good condition; energetic, fit.

Example Sentences

"Tortoise: [Y]ou're looking in very fine fettle these days, I must say. Achilles: Thank you very much."
"I did not ask her age, and of course neither should you, but my grandma turned 102 this week and she's in fine fettle, so it's possible it will happen in my lifetime. But we digress."

Etymology

From in + fine (“of superior quality”) + fettle (“state of physical condition”). Fettle is derived from Late Middle English fetlen (“(verb) to bestow; to fix, prepare, put in place; to prepare (oneself) for battle, gird up; to shape; to be about to, or to ready (oneself), to stay; (adjective) shaped (well or poorly)”) [and other forms], possibly from Old English fetel (“belt, girdle, fettle”), from Proto-Germanic *fatilaz; further etymology unknown.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: fetlen, fetel, *fatilaz

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɪn ˌfaɪn ˈfɛt(ə)l/
British English: /ɪn ˌfaɪn ˈfɛtl̩/

Synonyms

fit as a fiddle

Questions

How do you pronounce in fine fettle?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪn ˌfaɪn ˈfɛt(ə)l/.
What does in fine fettle mean?: In good condition; energetic, fit.
Where does in fine fettle come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce in fine fettle

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