newel
Americannoun
-
a central pillar or upright from which the steps of a winding stair radiate.
-
(on an escalator) the horizontal section of railing at the upper or lower end.
noun
-
the central pillar of a winding staircase, esp one that is made of stone
-
See newel post
Etymology
Origin of newel
1325–75; earlier nuel, Middle English nowel < Middle French no ( u ) el kernel, newel < Late Latin *nucāle, noun use of neuter of nucālis of a nut, nutlike, equivalent to Latin nuc- (stem of nux ) nut + -ālis -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among the artefacts found in the house are two angels, carved from oak, which once stood as newel posts at the foot of the house's main stairway.
From BBC
However, the newel post and railing had been replaced during a previous renovation and had a different stain that had yellowed over time, resulting in a kind of Franken-staircase.
From Seattle Times
Twin elephants carry newel post lamps on the staircase.
From New York Times
One luxuriated on a fluffy bedspread by a picture window overlooking Manhattan; another perched on a banister newel post, master of his empty household.
From New York Times
She paints portraits of people’s homes, focusing on one modest detail — a doorstop, a newel post or the fringed trim of a curtain.
From Seattle Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
