treenail

American  

[tree-neyl, tren-l, truhn-l] / ˈtriˌneɪl, ˈtrɛn l, ˈtrʌn l /

Or trenail,

noun

1. a wooden pin that swells when moist, used for fastening together timbers, as those of ships.

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treenail British  

/ ˈtrʌnəl, ˈtriːneɪl, ˈtrɛnəl /

noun

1. a dowel used for pinning planks or timbers together

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Etymology

Origin of treenail

First recorded in 1250–1300, treenail is from the Middle English word trenayl. See tree, nail

Example Sentences

Tamarac hulls went sound for twenty years, and sometimes forty, especially when hardwood treenails were used—a treenail being a bolt that did the service of a nail in woodwork or a rivet in steel plating.

From All Afloat A Chronicle of Craft and Waterways by Wood, William Charles Henry