Rivets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of mechanical fastener characterized by a head on one end and a shaft, used for joining materials together
2. Used in construction and manufacturing to hold parts securely, often requiring deformation for installation
3. These metal pins typically serve to connect two structural components, creating a strong and lasting bond

Etymology: "Rivets" is the plural of "rivet", and the surprise is that the metal pin takes its name from the riverbank. Old French "rive" meant "rim" or "edge," and it descends from Latin "ripa," the bank of a river. From "rive" came a verb, "river," meaning to fetter a person, to fix them down, and from that verb came the noun "rivet," a fastener that holds things fixed in place. The link to the verb is the clue to the metal sense. A rivet clamps two pieces together, much as the verb once bound a prisoner in irons. Earlier, the same Old French verb gave English "rivet" a separate sense, a kind of armour once worn by footmen, which appears to be a back-formation from a phrase, "almain rivet," that is itself thought to have an English origin.

Synonyms: fasteners, bolts