hobnail

[ hob-neyl ]

/ ˈhɒbˌneɪl /

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noun

a large-headed nail for protecting the soles of heavy boots and shoes.

a small allover pattern consisting of small tufts, as on fabrics, or of small studs, as on glass.

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Origin of hobnail

First recorded in 1585–95; hob¹ + nail

Words nearby hobnail

hobby farmer, hobbyhorse, hobbyist, hobday, hobgoblin, hobnail, hobnailed, hobnob, hobo, Hoboken, Hobrecht

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hobnail in a sentence

"I' faith, I never was so pricked by a hobnail before," growled Ben, with a surly smile.
Old and New London|Walter Thornbury
The hobnail heel-and-sole pattern is the correct article for use in swift-running water.
The Determined Angler and the Brook Trout|Charles Bradford
The hobnail sole of his shoe had been torn off and he was trying to fasten it back on with a combination of straps.
"And they thought we wouldn't fight"|Floyd Gibbons
We are conjurors, young Hobnail, said the gentlemen, laughing.
Joe Miller's Jests, With Copious Additions|Various

Hobnail cutting, late 1830, so often confused with diamond cutting.
Old Irish Glass|Graydon Stannus

British Dictionary definitions for hobnail

hobnail

/ (ˈhɒbˌneɪl) /

noun

a short nail with a large head for protecting the soles of heavy footwear
(as modifier)hobnail boots

Derived forms of hobnail

hobnailed, adjective

Word Origin for hobnail

C16: from hob 1 (in the archaic sense: peg) + nail

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