Meaning

noun a spoon-shaped vessel with a long handle; frequently used to transfer liquids from one container to another

verb put (a liquid) into a container by means of a ladle

verb remove with or as if with a ladle

originFrom Middle English ladel, from Old English hlædel, derived from Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną (“to load”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂- (“to put, lay out”), same source as Lithuanian kloti (“to spread”), equivalent to lade + -le (“agent suffix”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0