Purfle

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈpɜːfəl/

Definitions

1. To apply a decorative border that contrasts the main surface of an object for aesthetic enhancement
2. To adorn the rim of an item with a distinct decorative band that stands out from the main material
3. To embellish the perimeter of an object by adding a narrow ornamental strip differing in color or texture

Etymology: "Purfle" is a verb meaning to decorate something with a border, and its history runs through two words that have since gone their separate ways. It comes from Old French "porfiler," built from Latin "pro-," meaning "forward" or "through," and "filum," meaning "thread." The idea was of drawing a line or thread along an edge, which is also why the word has a close relative in "profile," a doublet that came into English along a different route and took on the sense of an outline seen from the side. Purfling, the thin decorative inlay around the edges of a violin, guitar or other stringed instrument, shows the word still doing its original job. A purfle on an instrument is a narrow strip set into the wood, often of contrasting pale and dark veneers, so the edge looks finished and ornamented. The sense of a fine line running along a boundary survives there almost exactly as the Latin thread-making image suggested.