Tholepin
/ˈθoʊlˌpɪn/noun
A short peg fitted into a boat’s gunwale to act as a fulcrum or retaining point for an oar.
Did you know?A tholepin is not merely an oar support: traditionally, a pair of tholepins could guide an oar while also helping keep it from sliding out of the boat.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þullaz
“A peg or post; the reconstructed ancestor of Old English þoll.”
Old English
Old English
þoll
“A peg or pin used in a boat as a support for an oar.”
Middle English
Middle English
thole
“A peg or upright fitting on a boat’s side, serving as an oar support.”
Old English
Old English
pinn
“A peg, pin, or small fastening device.”
Modern English
English
tholepin
“A compound of thole and pin: a peg used as an oar pivot or retaining support.”