tumbler
pronunciation
How to pronounce tumbler in British English:
UK [ˈtʌmblə(r)]
How to pronounce tumbler in American English:
US [ˈtʌmblɚ]
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- Noun:
- a gymnast who performs rolls and somersaults and twists etc.
- a glass with a flat bottom but no handle or stem; originally had a round bottom
- a movable obstruction in a lock that must be adjusted to a given position (as by a key) before the bolt can be thrown
- pigeon that executes backward somersaults in flight or on the ground
Word Origin
- tumbler (n.)
- mid-14c., "acrobat," agent noun from tumble (v.). Compare Old English tumbere "tumbler, dancer." A fem. form was tumblester (early 15c.), tumbester (late 14c.) "female acrobatic dancer." Meaning "drinking glass" is recorded from 1660s, originally a glass with a rounded or pointed bottom which would cause it to "tumble;" thus it could not be set down until it was empty. As a part of a lock mechanism, from 1670s.
Example
- 1. Trendy tumbler design is more stable , easier to store .
- 2. Toothbrushes huddled together in a tumbler like old men at a wedding .
- 3. It is , peter , he said , pouring me a massive scotch in a cut-glass tumbler .
- 4. Method for measuring the performance of tumbler dryers for household use .
- 5. This was the pin tumbler lock .