punty

Meaning

A metal rod used in the glassblowing process. After a glass vessel has been blown to approximate size and the bottom of the piece has been finalized, the rod, which is tipped with a wad of hot glass, is attached to the bottom of the vessel to hold it while the top is finalized. It often leaves an irregular or ring-shaped scar on the base when removed, called the pontil mark.

Synonyms

punt

base

iron rod

gavelock

pontil

puntee

Etymology

1662, from French pontil, from Italian pontello or puntello, diminutive of punto, from Latin punctum (“a point”). Doublet of puntillo and pointel.