A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water. Kettles can be heated either by placing on a stove, or by their own electric heating element.
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A stovetop kettle is a roughly pitcher shaped metal vessel used to heat water on a stovetop or hob. Kettles usually have a handle on top, a spout, and a lid. Sometimes stove-mounted kettles also have a steam whistle that indicates when the water has reached boiling point.
Electric kettles are normally constructed of durable plastic or steel (with a plastic handle) and powered by mains electricity. In modern designs, once the water has reached boiling, the kettle automatically deactivates to prevent the water boiling away and damaging the heating element.
The word kettle originates from Old Norse ketill "cauldron". The Old English spelling was ċetel with initial che- [tʃ] like 'cherry', Middle English (and dialectal) was chetel, both come (together with German Kessel "cauldron") ultimately from Germanic *katilaz, that was borrowed from Latin catillus, diminutive form of catīnus "deep vessel for serving or cooking food",[1] which in various contexts is translated as "bowl", "deep dish", or "funnel".
A kettle is probably the most ancient kind of metal cooking utensil. Common materials were wrought iron and pressed steel plate.