newel
1
9.2
- noun
- /ˈnjuːəl/
- Specialized
:
poste de escalera
- He went to the door, and Nina clung to the newel post and watched him greet the Bakers, who lived down the street.
- newel post
- newel posts and banisters
Examples
-
A tattered no-trespassing sign was nailed to the right-hand newel post.
Academic text (2010) -
When she heard the nighttime pacing and the radio at full volume, she stepped into the vestibule, braced on the newel post, and shouted, "Quiet!" Then the trek upstairs to discipline him face-to-face.
Fiction book (1990) -
I set my hand on the newel post and thought hard.
Fiction book (1992) -
Her feet stuck out past the newel post, white and dirty.
Fiction book (1990) -
In this case, the newel post is an architectural detail.
Blog text (16) -
Notice how the base of the newel post is mirrored on the step below it.
Blog text (16) -
Molly groaned and held onto the newel post.
Fiction book (1996) -
He rapped one knuckle against the newel post, just to hear a sound.
Fiction book (1992) -
He gripped the newel post in one leather-gloved hand, watching her.
Fiction book (2002) -
As I climbed the stairs, I paused to admire the intricate carvings on the newel post at the bottom of the staircase.
Synonyms
1
8.1
A strong upright support at the top or bottom of a staircase that holds the handrail
Compounds
- Specialized
1
8.1
A strong upright support at the top or bottom of a staircase that holds the handrail
Surface Forms
Etymology
Newel comes from an old word that meant 'knot' or 'node', related to Latin nodus. That's why a newel is the central post — like the 'knot' — around which the stairs turn.