A small, flat, usually triangular tool used for spreading mortar, plaster, or paint, or for digging in gardening.
From Old French 'truelle,' which comes from Latin 'truella,' a diminutive of 'trua' (a flat, broad vessel). The word has been used since medieval times for masonry work.
Trowels are one of the oldest tools still in use—Roman soldiers and medieval masons used basically the same design, and we still use it today! The Latin root 'truella' literally meant 'little flat dish,' which perfectly describes the tool's shape.
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