Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
thumbnut

thumbnut

9.2
A small nut with ridged wings you can turn by hand
  • noun
  • /ˈθʌmˌnʌt/
translation icon : tuerca mariposa
  • The lamp was secured by a single thumbnut at the base.

Examples

  • He tightened the thumbnut to hold the bracket in place.

  • He tightened the thumbnut by hand.

  • You can easily remove the panel by loosening the thumbnuts with your fingers.

  • The thumbnuts are easy to grip.

  • The photographer tightened the camera lens using a small thumbnut that could be easily turned by hand.

  • To secure the table legs, we used thumbnuts that allowed for quick adjustments without the need for tools.

  • The assembly required several thumbnuts to fasten the panels together tightly, making it simple to disassemble later.

Synonyms

nut
vsthumbnut
63 4.4

A small metal piece with a screw hole that fits on a bolt

is shaped for easy hand turning using wings or ridges rather than a tool
wing nut
vsthumbnut
  • Specialized
1 2.8

A small metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand

is smaller and uses winglike or ridged projections for easy hand turning
butterfly nut
vsthumbnut
  • UK
6.1

A metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand to hold things together

uses ridged or other projections instead of only flat wings
wing-nut
vsthumbnut
  • Specialized
5.3

A metal nut with two flat wings for tightening by hand

may instead feature ridged projections for turning by hand

Surface Forms

thumbnut singular
thumbnuts plural

Morphology

thumbnut = thumb + nut (transparent) = thumb + nut

The word is a straightforward compound whose meaning ('a nut designed to be turned by the thumb') directly follows from 'thumb' + 'nut'.

Etymology

The word thumbnut comes from the parts thumb and nut and literally means a 'nut' you can turn with your 'thumb'. So it names a small fastener with ridges or winglike parts that you can tighten or loosen by hand without tools.