Shool

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. To push or thrust someone or something forcefully ; to move stealthily or prowl around in search of something
2. To shove or jostle someone roughly ; to creep about furtively or skulk
3. To propel by pushing ; to slink or move sneakily through a place

Etymology: The word "shool" is a dialect form of "shovel," and its history is a plain one. It descends from Middle English "schovele," which came from Old English "sċofl," traceable to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "shovel" and built from the verb "shove" plus an old suffix "-el" that marked a tool or agent. In other words, the name of the tool was built from the action performed with it: a shovel is, at root, a thing that shoves. Scots "shuil" and "shule" show the same word evolving in the north of Britain, and in English dialects "shool" and "shoul" preserved the older vowel longer than the standard form did. The spelling and sound drifted apart from the main line of the word, but the meaning stayed put.