herl

[ hurl ]

/ hɜrl /

Save This Word!

noun

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

an artificial fly dressed with a herl.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of herl

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

Words nearby herl

heritage, heritance, heritor, Herkimer, herky-jerky, herl, Herlihy, herm, herma, Herman, Hermann

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use herl in a sentence

Red Clock,—wings and legs red; Peacock's brown herl, and bright red silk for body.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
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
Body greenish herl of Peacock,—ribbed with gold tinsel,—wrapt with red silk,—red hackle over all.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
A brown mallard, or dark hen-pheasant tail for wing, a black hackle for legs, and the necessary peacock-herl body.
Prose Idylls|Charles Kingsley

Wind silk floss (E) over the herl about half way up the hook.
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