Rowel
/ˈraʊəl/noun
A small revolving wheel with pointed teeth, especially on a spur.
Did you know?Rowel entered English through Old French and ultimately goes back to Latin rota, the same ancient root behind modern words like rotate and rotor.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
rota
“wheel”
Late Latin
LLatin
rotella
“little wheel”
Old French
OF
roel
“small wheel; spur-wheel”
Middle English
English
rowel
“a small wheel on a spur”
Modern English
English
rowel
“a revolving toothed wheel, especially on a spur”