n.
A comb for separating flax fibers.
tr.v., -eled, also -elled, -el·ing, -el·ling, -els, -els.
To separate (flax fibers) with a hatchel.
[Middle English hechel, possibly from Old English *hecel, akin to Middle Dutch hekel. See heckle.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
