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Topic: Kilter & fettle

A question about the term kilter found us a bit off-balance. For starters, kilter is synonymous with "order; balance; alignment;" or, "the proper or usual state or condition." Although etymologists know kilter first appeared in English print in the early 17th century; they do not know anything about its origin. What they (and we) know is that kilter commonly appears with—say, is aligned with—the words out of, as in out of kilter.

Then there's fettle, a fine word if ever there were one. These days, fettle names "a state or condition of health, fitness, wholeness, spirit, or form": frequently paired with the word fine, the noun fettle dates to the mid-1700s and appears in both British and American English. Although it never caught on in American English, in British English fettle had an established history as a dialect term. It functioned both an intransitive verb (meaning "to make preparations; get ready; to get along"); and as a transitive verb (meaning "mend; repair; arrange," as in fettle up the house).

So where does fettle come from? Etymologists aren't certain, but they suspect it may have an ancestor in the Middle English "to shape; repair."

Questions or comments? Write us at wftw@aol.com Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and Web sites including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.