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ferrule

or fer·ule

[fer-uh l, -ool]
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noun
  1. a ring or cap, usually of metal, put around the end of a post, cane, or the like, to prevent splitting.
  2. a short metal sleeve for strengthening a tool handle at the end holding the tool.
  3. a bushing or adapter holding the end of a tube and inserted into a hole in a plate in order to make a tight fit, used in boilers, condensers, etc.
  4. a short ring for reinforcing or decreasing the interior diameter of the end of a tube.
  5. a short plumbing fitting, covered at its outer end and caulked or otherwise fixed to a branch from a pipe so that it can be removed to give access to the interior of the pipe.
  6. Angling.
    1. either of two fittings on the end of a section of a sectional fishing rod, one fitting serving as a plug and the other as a socket for fastening the sections together.
    2. one of two or more small rings spaced along the top of a casting rod to hold and guide the line.
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verb (used with object), fer·ruled, fer·rul·ing.
  1. to furnish with a ferrule.
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Origin of ferrule

1605–15; alteration (apparently conformed to Latin ferrum iron, -ule) of verrel, verril, late Middle English virole < Middle French (cognate with Medieval Latin virola) < Latin viriola, equivalent to viri(a) bracelet + -ola -ole1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ferrule

Historical Examples

  • He advised me to laugh at the ruler, the ferrule, and the rod.

    Percival Keene

    Frederick Marryat

  • It should be beaten in very slowly until it fits the ferrule.

  • The ferrule will look black when this happens and will thus be recognized.

  • A flat pan is laid on the bench and the ferrule stood upon it.

  • This method of tinning the ferrule will spoil the wiping solder.

British Dictionary definitions for ferrule

ferrule

ferule

noun
  1. a metal ring, tube, or cap placed over the end of a stick, handle, or post for added strength or stability or to increase wear
  2. a side opening in a pipe that gives access for inspection or cleaning
  3. a bush, gland, small length of tube, etc, esp one used for making a joint
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verb
  1. (tr) to equip (a stick, etc) with a ferrule
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Word Origin

C17: from Middle English virole, from Old French virol, from Latin viriola a little bracelet, from viria bracelet; influenced by Latin ferrum iron
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 ferrule

n.

"metal cap on a rod," 1610s, ferule, earlier verrel (early 15c.), from Old French virelle, from Latin viriola "bracelet," diminutive of viriae "bracelets," from a Gaulish word (cf. Old Irish fiar "bent, crooked"); spelling influenced by Latin ferrum "iron."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper