dowel

Meaning

Noun

1. A pin, or block, of wood or metal, fitting into holes in the abutting portions of two pieces, and being partly in one piece and partly in the other, to keep them in their proper relative position.
2. A wooden rod, as one to make short pins from.
3. A piece of wood or similar material fitted into a surface not suitable for fastening so that other pieces may be fastened to it.

Verb

1. (transitive) To fasten together with dowels.
2. (transitive) To furnish with dowels.

Synonyms

pin

peg

tenon

dowel pin

set pin

joggle

key

🔑

pencil

📝

pile

pintle

spindle

stake

tack

tommy

treenail

wooden peg

double-pointed nail

trenail

trunnel

wooden pin

guide pin

locating pin

locating tab

stop pin

window bar

aligning pin

centering pin

detent pin

fitting pin

locating plunger

locating stud

register pin

set stud

steady pin

stop bolt

pin bolt

positioning dowel

wood nail

alignment pin

locator key

positioning pin

fixed pin

locating dewel

securing key

assembling pin

position pin

nest pin

fixing pin

stop dowel

free nail

Translations

Dübel

cheville

tassello

goujon

taco

espiga

clavija

dübeln

Passstift

deuvel

piolo

Nagel mit zwei Spitzen

Leistenstift

Zylinderstift

Stecknadel

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈdaʊəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: dowle

Cognate with French: douelle

Cognate with Dutch: deuvel

Cognate with German: Dübel

In summary

From Middle English dowle, dule, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old French doelle (“the hollow part of a tool where the handle is”), from Frankish *duli (“hollow tube, pipe”), from Proto-Germanic *dulją (“pipe”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰel- (“curvature, hollow”). If so, then cognate with French douelle, douille.
Alternatively from Middle Low German dövel (“peg, plug”), from Old Saxon *dubil, from Proto-Germanic *dubilaz. If so, then cognate with Dutch deuvel (“wooden peg”), German Dübel (“dowel”).