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to tenon

to tenon

8.6
To make a piece of wood that fits into a hole to join two pieces
  • verb
  • /ˈtɛnən/
  • Specialized
: tenonar
  • After shaping the wood, he tenoned the pieces together for added durability.

Examples

  • The carpenter expertly tenoned the legs to the tabletop, creating a strong joint.

  • It is an embodied knowing, mortised and tenoned into experience.

    Academic text (1991)
  • To ensure a tight fit, she tenoned the end of the beam into the mortise of the joint.

Compounds

1 8.2

A strong wood connection where a peg on one piece fits into a hole in another piece

Surface Forms

tenon infinitive
tenoned past
tenoned past participle
tenoning present participle
tenons third person singular

Etymology

Tenon as a verb comes from the noun tenon and the Latin tenere 'to hold'. To tenon wood is to cut a small piece that will fit into a hole and 'hold' the other part, so the origin shows the action of making the holding piece to join things together.