treenail

(trē′nāl′; also tren′əl, trun′-)

noun

a very dry wooden peg used to join timbers, esp. in building wooden ships: it swells from moisture and ensures a tight joint

Origin: ME trenayle < tre, tree (in early sense “wood”) + nayle, nail

See treenail in American Heritage Dictionary 4

or tre·nail

noun

A wooden peg that swells when wet and is used to fasten timbers, especially in shipbuilding.

Learn more about treenail

treenail in a sentence

link/cite print suggestion box

More from YD