creel

Uncertain. Possibly from Middle English crele, from a Old French root *creille, variant of greille (compare French grille), from Latin crāticula. The English word may also have been of Scottish origin originally.

• IPA^(key): /kɹiːl/
• Rhymes: -iːl

creel (plural creels)

1. (fishing) An osier basket, such as anglers use to hold fish.
   • 1897, William Henley, In Fisherrow:

     Her great creel forehead-slung, she wanders nigh,

     Easing the heavy strap with gnarled, brown fingers

2. A bar or set of bars with skewers for holding paying-off bobbins, as in the roving machine, throstle, and mule.

• creeler

creel (third-person singular simple present creels, present participle creeling, simple past and past participle creeled)

1. (transitive) To place (fish) in a creel.

• cleer