Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Tiller?

\Till"er\, n. [From {Till}, v. t.] One who tills; a husbandman; a cultivator; a plowman.
\Till"er\, n. [AS. telgor a small branch. Cf. {Till} to cultivate.] 1. (Bot.) (a) A shoot of a plant, springing from the root or bottom of the original stalk; a sucker. (b) A sprout or young tree that springs from a root or stump. 2. A young timber tree. [Prov. Eng.] --Evelyn.
\Till"er\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Tillered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Tillering}.] To put forth new shoots from the root, or round the bottom of the original stalk; as, wheat or rye tillers; some spread plants by tillering. [Sometimes written {tillow}.]
\Till"er\, n. [From OE. tillen, tullen, to draw, pull; probably fr. AS. tyllan in fortyllan to lead astray; or cf. D. tillen to lift up. Cf. {Till} a drawer.] 1. (Naut.) A lever of wood or metal fitted to the rudder head and used for turning side to side in steering. In small boats hand power is used; in large vessels, the tiller is moved by means of mechanical appliances. See Illust. of {Rudder}. Cf. 2d {Helm}, 1. 2. The stalk, or handle, of a crossbow; also, sometimes, the bow itself. [Obs.] You can shoot in a tiller. --Beau. & Fl. 3. The handle of anything. [Prov. Eng.] 4. A small drawer; a till. --Dryden. {Tiller rope} (Naut.), a rope for turning a tiller. In a large vessel it forms the connection between the fore end of the tiller and the steering wheel.