Tenoning

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The technique consists of crafting a male component on wood that fits into a matching female hole, facilitating joint construction between pieces
2. It entails shaping a wood piece to produce an extending part designed to interlock with another piece, ensuring stability in the assembly
3. The process involves creating a projecting part on wood that seamlessly connects to a corresponding recess in another piece, promoting strength in the assembly

Etymology: Tenoning is the woodworking practice of shaping a projecting tongue, called a tenon, on the end of one piece of timber so it slots into a matching cavity, or mortise, cut in another. The joint holds the two pieces together without nails or glue, which is why it has been a staple of carpentry for centuries. The noun "tenon" reached English in Middle English as "tenoun" or "tenown", passing through Anglo-Norman from Old French "tenon". That French word comes from "tenir", meaning "to hold", so the tenon is, at root, the part that holds. Carpenters' vocabulary often works this way: the name describes the function of the piece rather than its shape. The verb "tenon" was formed from the noun, and "tenoning" is the act of making that joint. The word belongs to the same family of joinery terms as the mortise, which entered English from Old French in a similar period.

Synonyms: jointing, fitting, connecting, joining, notching