newel

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“
The staircase newel is a fine piece of Gothic carving with an embattled moulding, a poppy-head and heraldic lion.

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Definitions (12)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A vertical support at the center of a circular staircase.
  2. noun A post that supports a handrail at the bottom or at the landing of a staircase.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (6)

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

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • She put out her hand for the newel post, missed it, and regained her balance only just in time. —  The Tiger In The Smoke - Allingham, Margery - Albert Campion 15
  • She leaned forward, and saw that the object which had fallen was the newel-post of the stairs. —  The Squirrel-Cage
  • "What are you doing to our nice old newel-post?" —  The Squirrel-Cage
  • The staircase newel is a fine piece of Gothic carving with an embattled moulding, a poppy-head and heraldic lion. —  Vanishing England
  • Upon a patch of snow above the river and below the road stood a flourishing little house covered with gables and turrets; and odd shapes like the newel-posts of staircases climbed unexpectedly about the roof. —  The Happy Foreigner
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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English nouel, niewel, from Old French noiel, from Vulgar Latin *nōdellus, little knot, diminutive of Latin nōdulus, diminutive of nōdus, knot; see node.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Formerly nowel, nuell, from Old French nueil, nual, noiel, French noyau = Provencal nogalh, nogaill, the stone of a fruit, a newel, from Middle Latin *nucale, stone of a fruit, a newel, neuter of Late Latin nucalis, of a nut, from Latin nux (nuc-), nut: see nucleus
  2. Irreg. from new + -el, after novel. Cf. Newalty.
 

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/ˈnjuɛl/
by American Heritage

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