split rail
1
6.1
- noun
- /splɪt reɪl/
- US
:
viga partida
- Split rail fences line the road.
- split rail fence
Examples
-
The farmhouse was surrounded by a beautiful split rail fence that enhanced its rustic charm.
-
They sniffed at the Dalmatian, and then instantly the dogs were fighting, two against one, and we were climbing to stand on the split-rail fence; the younger ones backed up against an adjacent oak for balance.
Fiction book (2001) -
Like a split rail fence.
-
And we added a split rail fence.
Blog text (20) -
Split rail fence, a pond, a stretch of woods.
-
Now, even the front split-rail fence bordering High Point Farm was falling down in sections.
Fiction book (1997) -
At the far end is an old gray split-rail fence, and beyond it, a small hill dotted with headstones.
Fiction book (1995) -
He let his eyes scan the split-rail fence that bordered the cornfield.
Fiction book (1990) -
The only sounds were the long-drawn late summer rattle of locusts and the chirp of crickets from the meadow beyond the split-rail fence that divided it from the lawn.
Fiction book (1990) -
The kids loved playing near the split rail fence that kept the horses in the pasture.
Synonyms
157
1.9
A long bar fixed for people to hold or as a fence
1
2.8
A long narrow piece of wood that sits across posts to make a barrier
How Finished
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a rail made by splitting a log lengthwise' is directly derivable from combining 'split' (wood split lengthwise) with 'rail' (a horizontal bar used in fences). This is a straightforward noun-modifier compound following common compositional patterns (and parallels in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Split rail comes from a simple farm method: farmers would split a log along its length to make long pieces for a fence. The word split shows how the log was opened and rail means a 'fence piece', so the phrase now means 'a rail made by splitting a log'.