Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Kettle \Ket"tle\ (k[e^]t"t'l), n. [OE. ketel; cf. AS. cetel,
   cetil, cytel; akin to D. kjedel, G. kessel, OHG. chezzil,
   Icel. ketill, SW. kittel, Dan. kjedel, Goth. katils; all
   perh. fr. L. catillus, dim. of catinus a deep vessel, bowl;
   but cf. also OHG. chezz[=i] kettle, Icel. kati small ship.]
   A metallic vessel, with a wide mouth, often without a cover,
   used for heating and boiling water or other liguids.

   {Kettle pins}, ninepins; skittles. [Obs.] --Shelton.

   {Kettle stitch} (Bookbinding), the stitch made in sewing at
      the head and tail of a book. --Knight.

Source : WordNet®

kettle
     n 1: a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid [syn:
          {boiler}]
     2: the quantity a kettle will hold [syn: {kettleful}]
     3: (geology) a hollow (typically filled by a lake) that results
        from the melting of a mass of ice trapped in glacial
        deposits [syn: {kettle hole}]
     4: a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument
        with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension
        on it [syn: {kettledrum}, {tympanum}, {tympani}, {timpani}]