herl

[ hurl ]

/ hɜrl /

noun

a barb of a feather, used especially in dressing anglers' flies.

an artificial fly dressed with a herl.

Words nearby herl

heritage, heritance, heritor, herkimer, herky-jerky, herl, herlihy, herm, herma, herman, hermann

Origin of herl

1300–50; Middle English; cognate with Middle Low German herle, harle, Low German harl fibre, hair of flax or hemp

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for herl

Wind silk floss (E) over the herl about half way up the hook.
How to Tie Flies|E. C. Gregg
Twitchbell—inside of lightest part of Starling's quill feather for wings, brown hackle for legs, brown Peacock's herl for body.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
Finish body with herl (D) wound tight against the back of the wings.
How to Tie Flies|E. C. Gregg

British Dictionary definitions for herl

herl

harl

/ (hɜːl) /

noun angling

the barb or barbs of a feather, used to dress fishing flies

an artificial fly dressed with such barbs

Word Origin for herl

C15: from Middle Low German herle, of obscure 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