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Glite Dictionary
treenail

treenail

9.9
A wooden peg that holds wood beams together and swells when wet
  • noun
  • /ˈtrēˌnāl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : clavo de madera
  • Moisture caused the treenail to swell, locking the timbers in place.

Examples

  • Shipbuilders drove each treenail carefully to ensure a tight hold between the beams.

  • The hull of the old ship was held together by sturdy treenails.

  • The carpenter used a treenail to secure the joint.

  • Many treenails were needed for the ship's hull.

  • Moisture caused the treenail to swell, locking the timbers in place.

  • Shipbuilders drove each treenail carefully to ensure a tight hold between the beams.

  • The hull of the old ship was held together by sturdy treenails.

Synonyms

trenail
vstreenail
  • Archaic
9.9

A wooden peg used to hold pieces of wood together by swelling when wet

is the alternative spelling used for the same wooden fastening
trunnel
vstreenail
  • Specialized
9.9

A wooden peg that holds wood pieces together by swelling when wet

is another spelling variant for the identical fastening term

How Strong

bolt
  • Specialized
42 3.8
nail
184 1.0
treenail
  • Specialized
9.9
dowel
  • Specialized
5 6.5

Surface Forms

treenail singular
treenails plural

Morphology

treenail = tree + nail (transparent) = tree + nail

The compound directly denotes a 'wooden nail' (tree = wood + nail = peg), so learners who know 'tree' and 'nail' can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Treenail is simply tree + nail, so it literally means a 'wooden nail' or peg used by shipbuilders and carpenters. Because it is wood it swells when wet and holds timbers tightly, which is exactly why the name fits the tool.