dowel
English
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dowel
- /ˈdaʊəl/
Rhymes with -aʊəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English dowle, dule, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old French doelle (“the hollow part of a tool where the handle is”), from Frankish *duli (“hollow tube, pipe”), from Proto-Germanic *dulją (“pipe”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰel- (“curvature, hollow”). If so, then cognate with French douelle, douille.
Alternatively from Middle Low German dövel (“peg, plug”), from Old Saxon *dubil, from Proto-Germanic *dubilaz. If so, then cognate with Dutch deuvel (“wooden peg”), German Dübel (“dowel”).
noun dowels · doul
- A pin, or block, of wood or metal, fitting into holes in the abutting portions of two pieces, and being partly in one piece and partly in the other, to keep them in their proper relative position.
- A wooden rod, as one to make short pins from. This twenty-four-piece starter set uses twelve thirty-six-inch-long dowels (or nine forty-eight-inch dowels) cut to these rod lengths. Lay out the cuts so you use the entire length of each dowel without any leftover scraps.
- A piece of wood or similar material fitted into a surface not suitable for fastening so that other pieces may be fastened to it.
verb dowels · doweling · dowelling · doweled · dowelled
- To fasten together with dowels. The wheels were solid, two half discs dowelled against the hub, and the chariots were pulled along by oxen or asses.
- To furnish with dowels. A cooper dowels pieces for the head of a cask.
Translations
Every language
noun a pin fitting into holes, partly in one piece and partly in the other to keep them in their position
| Español | clavija, taco, espiga, tarugo, torillo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ダボ dabo |
| 中文 | 銷釘 /销钉 xiāodìng |
| Português | cavilha |
| Français | cheville, goujon |
| Deutsch | Dübel, Holzdübel, Feder, Verbinder |
| Italiano | tassello, piolo |
| Русский | шпо́нка špónka, штифт štift, на́гель nágelʹ |
noun piece of wood fitted into a surface
| Español | clavija lignaria, torillo lignario, espiga, almilla, tarugo, bitoque |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 木钉 mù-dīng |
| Français | cheville |
| Deutsch | Dübel, Feder, Holzdübel |
noun something fitted into a surface to let other pieces be fastened to it
| Español | tarugo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 膨脹螺絲 /膨胀螺丝, 麻根塞, 膠塞 /胶塞 jiāosài |
| Português | bucha |
| Deutsch | Dübel, Wanddübel, Kunststoffdübel, Metalldübel |
| Русский | дю́бель djúbelʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | tắc-kê |
Talk about this word "dowel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/dowel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. dowel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/dowel "dowel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/dowel.Cite this
@misc{dowel_2026,
title = {dowel},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/dowel},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
