Ferules

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A strip or bar used to enforce discipline or correct behavior, often a tool used in education
2. a flat piece typically made of wood or metal that aids in punishment or guidance
3. an instrument of correction, sometimes employed in schools, to signify authority over students

Etymology: The plural "ferules" is simply the plural of "ferule", a flat wooden rod or ruler used to strike a pupil's hand as punishment. That punishment is what the word is famous for, but the object it names is far older than the schoolroom. "Ferule" came into English from Middle French "ferule", which in turn came from Latin "ferula", the name of the giant fennel plant. Its stalk is light, dry and easily split into a stick, and that is what made the plant's name transfer to a rod. The Latin plant name survives in English as the doublet "ferula", which kept the classical form and now refers to a splint or a support for an injured limb. "Ferule" and "ferula" thus descend from the same Latin word by two different routes, one through French and one directly from Latin, which is why the two look so alike yet carry different senses.

Synonyms: rulers, sticks