newel
English
WOTD – 1 January 2009
Etymology 1
![](../I/m/1528_-_Bologna_-_Santo_Sepolcro_-_Tomba_di_S._Petronio_(sec._XIV)_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall'Orto%2C_9-Feb-2008.jpg)
Ornamented newel at the foot of a staircase.
From Anglo-Norman nuel, Middle French nuel, of uncertain origin.
Noun
newel (plural newels)
- (architecture) A central pillar around which a staircase spirals.
- (architecture) A sturdy pillar at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs, supporting the handrail.
- 1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin 2005, p. 238:
- We went along the hall to the end and up a flight of stairs with a carved handrail and newel post.
- 1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin 2005, p. 238:
Synonyms
- (central pillar of a staircase spiral): spindle
Translations
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