Definition of rowel
: a revolving disk with sharp marginal points at the end of a spur
People Are Reading
rowel was our Word of the Day on 08/25/2013. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Origin and Etymology of rowel
Middle English rowelle, from Anglo-French roele small wheel — more at roulette
Did You Know?
If you've seen Western movies, you've seen rowels. The noun rowel names the circular, point-covered disk on the end of a spur that is used to urge powerful steeds to maximum speeds. But cowboys didn't invent rowels; knights in shining armor were sporting them even before the 12th century. English speakers of yore picked up the noun rowel from the Anglo-French roele, meaning "small wheel" (roele is also an ancestor of the word roulette). By the end of the 1500s, rowel was also being used as a verb for any process of prodding or goading that was as irritating as being poked in the side with a rowel.
First Known Use of rowel
1566
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up rowel? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!