Beetle \Bee"tle\ (b[=e]"t'l), n. [OE. betel, AS. b[imac]tl, b?tl, mallet, hammer, fr. be['a]tan to beat. See {Beat}, v. t.] 1. A heavy mallet, used to drive wedges, beat pavements, etc. [1913 Webster] 2. A machine in which fabrics are subjected to a hammering process while passing over rollers, as in cotton mills; -- called also {beetling machine}. --Knight. [1913 Webster]