fence rail
1
2.8
- noun
:
travesaño de cerca
- Diego's father rests his foot on the lower fence rail and looks out across the field and toward the mountains.
- cedar fence rails
- old fence rails
Examples
-
A curious honeybee dipped and darted close to her face as Eliza leaned on the fence rail and surveyed the huge garden.
Fiction book (1994) -
Putting down the first row of fence rails was chosen that morning because it could be done in the hour or so before Ruby went off to trade with Esco: apples for cabbages and turnips.
Fiction book (1997) -
I passed by a couple of guys sitting on a fence rail by the sidewalk.
Blog text (33) -
But anyway, these fence rails and fence posts were just taken out today.
-
Earl rushes to grab a couple more fence rails.
Fiction book (1990) -
Naomi rested a boot on the lowest fence rail.
Fiction book (1995) -
We walked down to the paddock and leaned against the fence rails, and his voice came steadily through the night.
Fiction book (1991) -
A sheen lay on the fence rails, a wrinkle of ice on the stock pond, broken by a pair of gliding mallards.
Fiction book (1991) -
He was harnessed to a sled load of locust fence rails, and they were as heavy as a similar amount of stones.
Fiction book (1997) -
Naomi rested a boot on the lowest fence rail.
Synonyms
157
1.9
A long bar fixed for people to hold or as a fence
1
6.1
A long wooden piece cut lengthwise from a log used in fences
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'fence rail' is directly compositional: 'fence' (an enclosure) + 'rail' (a horizontal bar) yields a horizontal bar used in a fence. This straightforward compound follows common English compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Fence rail comes from farm fences where people split a log into a long, thin piece called a rail and fit it between the fence posts to keep animals in. That's why Fence rail means 'a long, narrow piece of wood used in a fence'.