rivet

[riv-it]

noun

a metal pin for passing through holes in two or more plates or pieces to hold them together, usually made with a head at one end, the other end being hammered into a head after insertion.

verb (used with object), riv·et·ed, riv·et·ing or (especially British) riv·et·ted, riv·et·ting.

to fasten with a rivet or rivets.
to hammer or spread out the end of (a pin, bolt, etc.) in order to form a head and secure something; clinch.
to fasten or fix firmly.
to hold (the eye, attention, etc.) firmly.

Origin of rivet

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English revette, rivette < Old French rivet, derivative of river to attach; (v.) Middle English revetten, derivative of the noun

Related formsriv·et·er, nounriv·et·less, adjectiveun·riv·et·ed, adjectiveun·riv·et·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rivet

Contemporary Examples

He looked at the thin sheet of metal ringed by rivet holes and he knew instantly what it was his wife had chanced upon.
How Amelia's Plane Was Found
Michael Daly
October 30, 2014
Looked at in closeup, it reveals a row of popped rivets, with one rivet still partially stuck in place.
Picking Up Pieces From a Midair Explosion
Clive Irving
June 14, 2009

Historical Examples

He struck the rivet such a blow that he snapped one shank of his spur short off.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
This sight seemed to rivet Florent to the ground with surprise.
The Fat and the Thin
Emile Zola
We must rivet the attention of the public from the start, he says.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro
God created him when He drove in one rivet to feel the whole of the ship.
The Ghost in the White House
Gerald Stanley Lee
Not a rivet fell, but that its fall was noted—in quintuplicate.
The Misplaced Battleship
Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)

British Dictionary definitions for rivet

rivet

noun

a short metal pin for fastening two or more pieces together, having a head at one end, the other end being hammered flat after being passed through holes in the pieces

verb -ets, -eting or -eted (tr)

to join by riveting
to hammer in order to form into a head
(often passive) to cause to be fixed or held firmly, as in fascinated attention, horror, etcto be riveted to the spot

Derived Formsriveter, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Old French, from river to fasten, fix, of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rivet

n.

c.1400, from Old French rivet "nail, rivet," from Old French river "to clench, fix, fasten," possibly from Middle Dutch wriven "turn, grind," related to rive (v.). The English word may be directly from Middle Dutch.

v.

early 15c., from rivet (n.). Meaning "to command the attention" is from c.1600. Related: Riveted; riveting.

rivet

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}rivet

Examples from the Web for rivet

Contemporary Examples

He looked at the thin sheet of metal ringed by rivet holes and he knew instantly what it was his wife had chanced upon.

Looked at in closeup, it reveals a row of popped rivets, with one rivet still partially stuck in place.

Historical Examples

He struck the rivet such a blow that he snapped one shank of his spur short off.

This sight seemed to rivet Florent to the ground with surprise.

We must rivet the attention of the public from the start, he says.

God created him when He drove in one rivet to feel the whole of the ship.

Not a rivet fell, but that its fall was noted—in quintuplicate.

rivet

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for rivet

n.

v.

Origin of rivet