tile

Meaning

Noun

1. A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile, etc.
2. A rectangular graphic.
3. Any of various flat cuboid playing pieces used in certain games, such as dominoes, Scrabble, or mahjong.
4. (dated, informal) A stiff hat.
5. A Lego piece that is 1/3 the height of a brick, and is smooth without studs on top.

Verb

1. (transitive) To cover with tiles.
2. To arrange in a regular pattern, with adjoining edges (applied to tile-like objects, graphics, windows in a computer interface).
3. To optimize (a loop in program code) by means of the tiling technique.
4. To seal a lodge against intrusions from unauthorised people.

Verb

To protect from the intrusion of the uninitiated.

Synonyms

tiling

flagstone

roofing tile

brick

slab

plate

pave

panel

glazed tile

dalle

clad

roofing

roof tile

shingle

tiled

cover

concrete

paver

paving block

piece

plaque

blackboard

porcelain

potsherd

pottery

puke

quarry

revet

roof

Dutchware

thin slab

scale

sheet

enamel tile

shingles

chalkboard

slate

surface

stone tile

tiles

button

tilting

Dutch tile

porcelain tile

brass

ceramic tile

flat solid

board

stone/glazed tile

dinero

Translations

piastrella

Fliese

tuile

carreau

tegola

mattonella

Kachel

tegel

azulejo

teja

dakpan

baldosa

Dachziegel

piastrellare

Ziegel

Pronounced as (IPA)

/taɪl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: tile

Inherited from Old English: tieġle

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Tichel

Cognate with Western Frisian: teil

Cognate with Dutch: tichel

Cognate with German: Ziegel

Cognate with Danish: tegl

Cognate with Swedish: tegel

Cognate with Icelandic: tigl

In summary

From Middle English tile, tyle, tigel, tiȝel, teȝele, from Old English tieġle, tiġle, tiġele (“tile; brick”), from Proto-West Germanic *tigulā, from Proto-Germanic *tigulǭ (“tile”), from Latin tēgula. Doublet of tegula.
Cognates
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tichel (“tile”), West Frisian teil, tegel, tichel (“tile”), Dutch tichel, tegel (“tile”), German Ziegel (“brick; tile”), Danish tegl (“brick”), Swedish tegel (“brick; tile”), Icelandic tigl (“tile; brick”).

Sentences

The walls are of rubble , which includes some Roman tile , with ashlar dressings .