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definitions

herl

[hurl]
|

noun

a barb of a feather, used especially in dressing anglers' flies.
an artificial fly dressed with a herl.

Nearby words

  1. heritance,
  2. heritor,
  3. herkimer,
  4. herkimer, nicholas,
  5. herky-jerky,
  6. herlihy,
  7. herm,
  8. herma,
  9. hermaean,
  10. herman

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

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