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gim·let

(gĭmlĭt)

1. A small hand tool having a spiraled shank, a screw tip, and a cross handle and used for boring holes.

2. A cocktail made with vodka or gin, sweetened lime juice, and sometimes effervescent water and garnished with a slice of lime.

tr.v. gim·let·ed, gim·let·ing, gim·lets

To make a hole in (something) with a gimlet.

adj.

Having a penetrating or piercing quality: gimlet eyes.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman guimbelet, perhaps from Middle Dutch wimmelkijn, diminutive of wimmel, auger.]

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gimlet

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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