Purfle means to decorate the edges of something, and this verb, derived from French, is now often used for musical instruments.
Purfle (PER-ful) is a verb meaning to ornament the border or edges of something. Originally used for decorating garments, it is now commonly used in woodworking, especially for guitars and violins.
| Word | purfle |
|---|---|
| Date | August 23, 2014 |
| Type | verb |
| Syllables | PER-ful |
| Etymology | Today we use "purfle" mostly in reference to setting a decorative inlaid border around the body of a guitar or violin, a process known as "purfling." In the past, "purfle" got the most use in connection with adornment of garments. "The Bishop of Ely … wore a robe of scarlet … purfled with minever," reported an English clergyman in 1840, for example. We embellished our language with "purfle," first as "purfilen" in the 1300s, when we took it with its meaning from Middle French "porfiler." |
| Examples | The guitar maker used abalone shell to purfle the instrument. "She wore a silk dress purfled with gold, and they compared her beauty to the moon." - Nicholas Jubber, The Prester Quest, June 30, 2011 |
| Definition | : to ornament the border or edges of |
Tags: wordoftheday::verb
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