Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
WHITTLE
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English whittel, alteration of thwitel, from thwiten to whittle, from Old English thwītan; akin to Old Norse thveita to hew
Date: 15th century
a large knife,
II. verb (whittled; whittling)
Date: 1552
transitive verb
1. to pare or cut off chips from the surface of (wood) with a knife, to shape or form by so paring or cutting, to reduce, remove, or destroy gradually as if by cutting off bits with a knife ; pare , intransitive verb to cut or shape something (as wood) by or as if by paring it with a knife, to wear oneself or another out with fretting, whittler noun