Hatch"el (-&ebreve;l; 277), n. [OE.
hechele, hekele; akin to D. hekel, G.
hechel, Dan. hegle, Sw. häkla, and prob. to
E. hook. See Hook, and cf. Hackle,
Heckle.] An instrument with long iron teeth set in a
board, for cleansing flax or hemp from the tow, hards, or coarse
part; a kind of large comb; -- called also hackle and
heckle.
Hatch"el, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Hatcheled or Hatchelled (-&ebreve;ld);
p. pr. & vb. n. Hatcheling or
Hatchelling.] [OE. hechelen, hekelen; akin to D.
hekelen, G. hecheln, Dan. hegle, Sw.
häkla. See Hatchel, n.]
1. To draw through the teeth of a hatchel, as
flax or hemp, so as to separate the coarse and refuse parts from the
fine, fibrous parts.
2. To tease; to worry; to torment.
[Colloq.]
