Trenail

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A cylindrical pin made of hardwood, driven through holes to fasten planks and timbers together in wooden ships and buildings
2. A long peg of oak or other hard wood used to join boards or beams by being hammered into bored holes
3. A wooden dowel that secures the frames and planking of a vessel by being driven into pre-drilled holes

Etymology: A trenail is a wooden peg, typically made of oak, used to fasten timbers together without metal. The name is simply "tree" and "nail" joined together, and the spelling "treenail" is the more common modern form, with "trenail" a variant. The word passed down into English from Middle English "trenayl", in which the "tree" element is the same word that gave us the plant, and the "nail" element carries its older sense of a pin or fastening rather than a metal fingernail-like spike. Shipbuilders and carpenters drove these pegs through holes bored into joined timbers, where the wood swelled when wet and held the pieces tight. Because the peg was made of wood rather than iron, it did not rust away in salt water, which made it a common fastening in old wooden ships and frame-built houses.

Synonyms: treenail, trunnel, trennel