m., dat. katli, pl. katlar, [Goth. katils = Mark vii. 4; A. S. cytel; Engl. kettle; O. H. G. kezil; Germ. kessel; Swed. kettel; Dan. kjædel]:—a kettle, cauldron, Eb. 198; í elda-húsinu var eldr mikill ok katlar yfir, Eg. 238, Bs. i. 342, ii. 135, B. K. 52, Fms. vi. 364, Edda 28; elda undir katli, kljúfa við undir ketil, Fbr. 72 new Ed., Fs. 150; var honum goldinn k. mikill ok góðr, Þorst. Siðu H. 171; búðar-k., Eb. 198; eir-k., Eg.; járn-k., stein-k., an iron, an earthen kettle, Ó. H. 223: in old usage as a general name for every kettle, boiler, cauldron; in mod. usage, esp. of a kettle of a certain shape or of a small kettle, kaffe-k., a coffee kettle; but pottr = cauldron; the same distinction is made in Dipl. v. 4.—sex katlar, tíu pottar: katla-máls skjóla, a measure, Grág. i. 501: the phrase, e-m fellr allr ketill í eld, one’s kettle falls into the fire, of consternation.

2. the earliest northern eccl. law prescribed as an ordeal for a woman to take hot stones out of a boiling kettle, whereas a man had to take up hot iron; ganga til ketils, taka í ketil, Gkv. 3. 7, (the ordeal being called ketil-tak, n.); beri karlmaðr járn en kona taki í ketil, N. G. L. i. 152; karlmaðr skal ganga til arins-járns en kona til ketiltaks, 389; eðr berr hón járn eðr tekr hón í ketil, Grág. i. 381.

II. as a pr. name of men, Ketill, Ketil-björn; of women, Katla, Ketil-ríðr: but chiefly used as the latter part in compd names of men, contr. into ‘kel,’ As-kell, Arn-kell, Grím-kell, Hall-kell, Stein-kell, Úlf-kell, Þór-kell, Vé-kell: of women, Hall-katla, Þór-katla. In poets of the 10th century the old uncontracted form was still used, but the contracted form occurs in verses of the beginning of the 11th century, although the old form still occurs now and then. The freq. use of these names is no doubt derived from the holy cauldron at sacrifices, as is indicated by such names as Vé-kell, Holy kettle; cp. Ketilby in Yorkshire.