Screwe

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. A threaded metal pin with a head, driven by turning it to fasten parts together ; to fix something firmly in place by turning a threaded fastener
2. A spiral-grooved pin that holds materials together when rotated ; to join or tighten something by winding a threaded piece into it
3. A helical fastening device tightened by rotation ; to secure or tighten an object by turning a threaded pin into or against it

Etymology: In Medieval Latin, "scrofa" meant "sow," and that animal sits behind the everyday fastener. Old French turned the Latin into "escroue," the name for the nut that receives a bolt's threaded spiral, and English borrowed that term as "screwe" in its Middle English spelling. Why a sow should name a piece of hardware is obscure, and no convincing explanation survives, so the link between the two remains a gap in the record. Once English had the noun, the verb followed, meaning to fasten or twist with a screw. From there the verb spread into figurative uses, such as forcing something tight or pressing for advantage, so a device for turning metal gradually took on a wider range of pressure and force.