From Latin 'trua' (stirring spoon), diminutive 'truella'—a trowel is etymologically a 'little ladle.'
A small handheld tool with a flat, pointed blade, used for spreading mortar or plaster, or for digging in gardens.
From Old French 'truele,' from Late Latin 'truella,' a diminutive of Latin 'trua' (stirring spoon, ladle). A trowel is etymologically a 'little ladle'—the flat blade evolved from a spoon-shaped tool used to scoop and spread plaster. Key roots: trua (Latin: "stirring spoon