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knurl

or nurl

[nurl]
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noun
  1. a small ridge or bead, especially one of a series, as on a button for decoration or on the edge of a thumbscrew to assist in obtaining a firm grip.
  2. a knur.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to make knurls or ridges on.
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Origin of knurl

1600–10; earlier knurle (noun). See knur, -le
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for knurl

knurl

nurl

verb (tr)
  1. to impress with a series of fine ridges or serrations
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noun
  1. a small ridge, esp one of a series providing a rough surface that can be gripped
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Word Origin

C17: probably from knur
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 knurl

n.

"hard excrescence," c.1600, probably a diminutive of Middle English knor "knot" (c.1400), related to gnarl, from Proto-Germanic *knur- (cf. German knorren "a knotty excrescence"). Related: Knurly.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper