'Rowel' is the spiked disk on a spur, and the verb means to provoke, goad, or trouble someone.
'Rowel' refers to the pointed disk on a spur, and as a verb, it means to goad or vex, similar to being poked with a spur.
| Word | rowel |
|---|---|
| Date | August 25, 2013 |
| Type | verb |
| Syllables | ROWL |
| Etymology | If you've seen Western movies, you've seen rowels. The noun "rowel" names the circular, point-covered disk on the end of a spur that is used to urge powerful steeds to maximum speeds. But cowboys didn't invent rowels; knights in shining armor were sporting them even before the 12th century. English speakers of yore picked up the noun "rowel" from the Anglo-French "roele," meaning "small wheel." By the end of the 1500s, "rowel" was also being used as a verb for any process of prodding or goading that was as irritating as being poked in the side with a rowel. |
| Examples | With one of the best fastballs in the league combined with a wicked changeup, Lester roweled the opposing line-up for his second career no-hitter. "He folded the book shut, touched his hat, moved to the wagon, and roweled the horses around." - From Colum McCann's 2013 novel TransAtlantic |
| Definition | 1 : to goad with or as if with a pointed disk at the end of a spur 2 : vex, trouble |
Tags: wordoftheday::verb
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