Added 10 October 2026
ferrule
/ˈfɛɹ.(ə)l/ noun
Latin root: ferrum Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ferrule at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A band or cap (usually metal) placed around a shaft to reinforce it or to prevent splitting. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller} The metal spike at the end of the shaft of an ice axe.
- The metal spike at the end of the shaft of an ice axe.
- A band holding parts of an object together. A bushing for securing a pipe joint. A metal sleeve placed inside a gutter at the top. The plastic band attaching the tip to the cue. The pinched metal band which holds the bristles of a paintbrush or the eraser of a pencil to the shaft; a similar band crimped as part of a cable terminal or to terminate a hose.
verb
- To equip with a ferrule.
Origin
From Middle English verel, virel, virole (“ferrule; metal pivot on the end of an axle”), altered under the influence of Latin ferrum (“iron”), from Old French virole (“ferrule”), from Latin viriola (“little bracelet”), diminutive of viria (“bracelet worn by men”), from Gaulish, from Proto-Celtic *weiros (“crooked”) (compare Middle Irish fiar (“bent, crooked”), Welsh gŵyr, Breton gwar (“curved”)), from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁ros (“threaded, turned, twisted”), from *weyh₁- (“to turn, twist, weave”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)