ferule

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“
His rod and his ferule were seldom idle now -- at least among the smaller pupils.

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Definitions (9)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun An instrument, such as a cane, stick, or flat piece of wood, used in punishing children.
  2. transitive verb To punish with a ferule.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • The ferule, or the birch-rod, was in those days the assistant schoolmaster, and young Barnum made its acquaintance. —  Life of Hon. Phineas T. Barnum
  • At the return of peace, having no longer exercise for the sword, he resumed the ferule, and drilled the urchin populace of Lissoy. —  Oliver Goldsmith
  • An observer versed in the fashion might have detected some small spark of humanity in those blue eyes, but Brownell had never before seen an example of the Yeunnin image, and it poked into his viscera like the ferule of an umbrella. —  F ;SF - vol 105 issue 04-05 - October-November 2003
  • Dashing forward into the middle of the room, he struck me violently on the shoulders with his ferule, and snatching the rope out of my hand, exclaimed, with a stentorian voice, and genuine Yorkshire accent, "Prodigy of ignorance! —  Lavengro The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Priest
  • Dashing forward into the middle of the room, he struck me violently on the shoulders with his ferule, and, snatching the rope out of my hand, exclaimed, with a stentorian voice, and genuine Yorkshire accent, "Prodigy of ignorance! —  Lavengro The Scholar - The Gypsy - The Priest, Vol. 1 (of 2)
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This word has been looked up 102 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English ferul, fennel stalk, from Latin ferula, fennel stalk, rod.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Formerly also ferrule; = French férule = Spanish Portuguese Italian ferula = Danish ferle = Swedish ferla, from Latin ferula, a rod, whip, walking-stick, cane, a slender branch, the plant giant fennel, from ferire, strike.
  2. from ferule, n.
 

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/ˈfɛrul/
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