TEETOTUM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does teetotum mean? 

• TEETOTUM (noun)
  The noun TEETOTUM has 1 sense:

1. a conical child's plaything tapering to a steel point on which it can be made to spin

  Familiarity information: TEETOTUM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TEETOTUM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A conical child's plaything tapering to a steel point on which it can be made to spin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

spinning top; teetotum; top; whirligig

Context example:

he got a bright red top and string for his birthday

Hypernyms ("teetotum" is a kind of...):

plaything; toy (an artifact designed to be played with)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "teetotum"):

humming top (a top that makes a humming noise as it spins)

peg top (a pear-shaped top made of wood with a metal center pin)

whip top; whipping top (a top that is spun by whipping)

 Context examples 

Merry tumbled head foremost into the excavation; the man with the bandage spun round like a teetotum and fell all his length upon his side, where he lay dead, but still twitching; and the other three turned and ran for it with all their might.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)