rivet

[riv-it]

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noun

a metal pin for passing through holes in two or more plates or pieces to hold them together, usually made with a head at one end, the other end being hammered into a head after insertion.

verb (used with object), riv·et·ed, riv·et·ing or (especially British) riv·et·ted, riv·et·ting.

to fasten with a rivet or rivets.

to hammer or spread out the end of (a pin, bolt, etc.) in order to form a head and secure something; clinch.

to fasten or fix firmly.

to hold (the eye, attention, etc.) firmly.

Origin of rivet

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English revette, rivette < Old French rivet, derivative of river to attach; (v.) Middle English revetten, derivative of the noun

Related formsriv·et·er, nounriv·et·less, adjectiveun·riv·et·ed, adjectiveun·riv·et·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for rivetted

tickle, fascinate, excite, captivate, please, delight, pique, entertain, charm, titillate, attract, enchant, rivet, prove, suggest, engage, commit, associate, embroil, require

Examples from the Web for rivetted

Historical Examples of rivetted

I tried to turn my eyes away from the scene, but they were rivetted on the spot.
Old Jack
W.H.G. Kingston
His eyes were rivetted upon it, and he could not remove them.
The Phantom Ship
Frederick Marryat
So close was his head that the two gleaming orbs seemed to be rivetted to us.
The Great White Queen
William Le Queux
My eyes were rivetted upon the doctor's for fully a minute in silence.
Pharaoh's Broker
Ellsworth Douglass
By a repetition of vicious acts, evil habits have been formed within us, and have rivetted the fetters of sin.
A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Middle and Higher Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity.
William Wilberforce

British Dictionary definitions for rivetted

rivet

noun

a short metal pin for fastening two or more pieces together, having a head at one end, the other end being hammered flat after being passed through holes in the pieces

verb -ets, -eting or -eted (tr)

to join by riveting

to hammer in order to form into a head

(often passive) to cause to be fixed or held firmly, as in fascinated attention, horror, etcto be riveted to the spot

Derived Formsriveter, noun

Word Origin for rivet

C14: from Old French, from river to fasten, fix, of unknown 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

Word Origin and History for rivetted

rivet

c.1400, from Old French rivet "nail, rivet," from Old French river "to clench, fix, fasten," possibly from Middle Dutch wriven "turn, grind," related to rive (v.). The English word may be directly from Middle Dutch.

rivet

early 15c., from rivet (n.). Meaning "to command the attention" is from c.1600. Related: Riveted; riveting.