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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

Related Words for knurl

lever, latch, doorknob, bump, swelling, chunk, wad, tumor, bulge, pile, knot, hunk, blister, abscess, bruise, sore, welt, inflammation, injury, contusion
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 for knurl

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