| Definitions | | rowel |
|
noun
- The small spiked wheel on the end of a spur.
- 1819, The deep and sharp rowels with which Ivanhoe"s heels were now armed, began to make the worthy Prior repent of his courtesy " Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
- 1936, The dry desert of my native land, her men grey and gaunt, their spines twisted, their feet shod with and spur. " Henry Miller, Black Spring
- 1973, The Lone Ranger will storm in at the head of a posse, rowels tearing blood from the stallion"s white hide, to find his young friend, innocent Dan, swinging from a tree limb by a broken neck. " Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow
- 1992, He nodded at the Americans. Buena suerte, he said. He put the long rowels of his spurs to the horse and they moved on. " Cormac McCarthy?, All the Pretty Horses
verb (rowels, roweling, roweled)
- (transitive) To use a rowel on something, especially to drain fluid.
Etymology: Old French roel, from late Latin rotella, diminutive of Latin rota "wheel".
Supplemental Details:Sponsor an extended definition for rowel for as little as $10 per month. Click here to contact us.
| |
|
