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  1. newel love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

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

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. In architecture, an upright cylinder or pillar which forms a center from which the steps of a winding stair radiate, and supports their inner ends from the bottom to the top. In stairs where the steps are merely pinned into the wall by their outer ends, and there is no central pillar, the staircase is said to have an open newel. The newel is sometimes continued through to the roof, so as to serve as a central shaft for receiving the ribs of the covering vault.
  2. n. In carpentry, the tall and more or less ornamental post at the head or foot of a stair, supporting a handrail.
  3. n. In engineering, a cylindrical pillar terminating the wing-wall of a bridge.
  4. n. In a ship, an upright timber which receives the tenons of the rails leading from the breastwork of the gangway.
  5. n. A new thing; a novelty.

Wiktionary

  1. n. obsolete A novelty; a new thing.
  2. n. architecture A central pillar around which a staircase spirals.
  3. n. architecture A sturdy pillar at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs, supporting the handrail.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. obsolete A novelty; a new thing.
  2. n. (Arch.) The upright post about which the steps of a circular staircase wind; hence, in stairs having straight flights, the principal post at the foot of a staircase, or the secondary ones at the landings. Also called newel post. See Hollow newel, under hollow.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. the central pillar of a circular staircase
  2. n. the post at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs; it supports the handrail

Etymologies

  1. From new +‎ -el, modelled after novel ("new, original"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English nouel, niewel, from Old French noiel, from Vulgar Latin *nōdellus, little knot, diminutive of Latin nōdulus, diminutive of nōdus, knot; see node. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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synonyms (2)

Words with the same meaning

  1. novelty
  1. spindle

hypernyms (3)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. column
  1. pillar
  1. post

same context (20)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. ladder-like
  2. multi-link
  3. d'appui
  4. baluster
  1. psychedelia
  2. uncarpeted
  3. online
  4. tierce
  1. wristlet
  2. neckpiece
  3. well-trodden
  4. tothis
  1. tinamou
  2. sterncastle
  3. resign
  4. well-researched
  1. hunting-whip
  2. switchback
  3. plasterwork
  4. quintain

reverse dictionary (9)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. hollow newel
  1. newel
  1. solid newel
  1. nowel
  1. corkscrew stairs
  1. open newel
  1. rail-post
  1. scala
  1. vise

tags (2)

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  1. castle
  1. cvcvc

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  • sionnach "Much better than the old L!" : Chicago passengers delighted with their refurbished transit system. Jan 19, 2009

  • fbharjo newel What is the newel of DNA? Jan 31, 2007

  • lampbane "Fixed the newel post!" - Clark Griswold, after finding the newel post at the top of the stairs loose and subsequently sawing it off with a chainsaw. Dec 17, 2006

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‘newel’ has been looked up 2058 times, loved by 2 people, added to 23 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 8.