ferule

See also: férule

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ferula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛɹuːl/, /ˈfɛɹəl/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Homophone: ferrule

Noun

ferule (plural ferules)

1. A ruler-shaped instrument, generally used to slap naughty children on the hand.
   • 1850, Herman Melville, “Something Concerning Midshipmen”, in White-Jacket; or, The World in a Man-of-War, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, publishers; London: Richard Bentley, published 1855, →OCLC, page 258:

     He [a midshipman] lords it over those below him, while lorded over himself by his superiors. It is as if with one hand a school-boy snapped his fingers at a dog, and at the same time received upon the other the discipline of the usher's ferule.

   • 1851, George Borrow, chapter VI, in Lavengro; the Scholar—the Gypsy—the Priest. […], volume I, London: John Murray […], →OCLC, page 85:

     The master, who stood at the end of the room, with a huge ferule under his arm, bent full upon me a look of stern appeal; […]

   • 1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXI, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 167:

     The schoolmaster, always severe, grew severer and more exacting than ever, for he wanted the school to make a good showing on "Examination" day. His rod and his ferule were seldom idle now—at least among the smaller pupils.

Translations

ruler-shaped instrument

• Dutch: plak (nl) f
• French: férule (fr) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: palmatória (pt) f
• Russian: ферула (ru) f (ferula)
• Swedish: färla (sv) c

Verb

ferule (third-person singular simple present ferules, present participle feruling, simple past and past participle feruled)

1. (transitive) To punish with a ferule.
   • 1862, William S. Woodbridge, Captain Paul's Adventure: A "Charcoal Sketch", Ballou's Dollar Monthly Magazine, Volume 15, page 72,

     And they were right in their assumption; I could cudgel a great lubberly delinquent of a boy […] but when it came to feruling a girl […] my manhood rebelled […] .

Related terms

• ferulary

Anagrams

• fueler, refuel