newel

See also: Newel

English

WOTD – 1 January 2009

Ornamented newel (2) at the foot of a staircase.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈnjuː.əl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈnu.əl/, /ˈnju.əl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːəl, -uːl

Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English nowel, *newel, from Old French noel, from either Early Medieval Latin nōdellus (“buckle”, diminutive of nōdus "knot") or Late Latin nucālis (“nut-like”, derivative of nux "nut"). Doublet of noil and noyau.

Noun

newel (plural newels)

1. (architecture) A central pillar around which a staircase spirals.

   Synonym: spindle

2. (architecture) A sturdy pillar at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs, supporting the handrail.

   Synonym: newel post

   • 1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin, published 2005, page 238:

     We went along the hall to the end and up a flight of stairs with a carved handrail and newel post.

Derived terms

• neweled
• newelled

Translations

central pillar of staircase

• Bulgarian: централна колона на вита стълба (centralna kolona na vita stǎlba)
• Catalan: monjo (ca) m
• Czech: sloup točitého schodiště
• Dutch: spindel (nl) m
• Finnish: keskipilari
• French: noyau (fr) m
• German: Spindel (de) f
• Ido: chef-balustro
• Irish: ráille staighre m, cuaille m, mol m
• Polish: słupek balustrady schodowej
• Russian: коло́нна (ru) (kolónna) винтовой лестницы
• Spanish: alma (es) f

pillar supporting the handrail

• Czech: sloupek zábradlí

Etymology 2

From new +‎ -el, modelled after novel (“new, original”).

Noun

newel (plural newels)

1. (obsolete) A novelty; a new thing.
   • 1882: Edmund Spenser (Alexander Balloch Grosart, ed) The Complete Works in Verse and Prose of Edmund Spenser

     He was so enamoured with the newel.

Further reading

• newel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia