rivet
[riv-it]
- 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.
Show More
- 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.
Show More
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for rivetted
tickle, fascinate, excite, captivate, please, delight, pique, entertain, charm, titillate, attract, enchant, rivet, prove, suggest, engage, commit, associate, embroil, requireExamples 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 JackW.H.G. Kingston
His eyes were rivetted upon it, and he could not remove them.
The Phantom ShipFrederick Marryat
So close was his head that the two gleaming orbs seemed to be rivetted to us.
The Great White QueenWilliam Le Queux
My eyes were rivetted upon the doctor's for fully a minute in silence.
Pharaoh's BrokerEllsworth Douglass
By a repetition of vicious acts, evil habits have been formed within us, and have rivetted the fetters of sin.
rivet
- 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
Show More
- 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
Show More
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.
Show More
rivet
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper