Ferule

//ˈfɛɹuːl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A ruler-shaped instrument, generally used to slap naughty children on the hand. historical

    "In his hand he swayed a ferule, that sceptre of despotic power; the birch of justice reposed on three nails behind the throne, a constant terror to evil doers, […]."

  2. 2
    a switch (a stick or cane or flat paddle) used to punish children wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To punish with a ferule. transitive

    "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[…]."

Synonyms

All synonyms
blackjackcaneclubcorrectioncudgeldeserts

Example

More examples

"All that is good is iron, the rest is only ferule."

Etymology

From Middle French ferule (modern French férule), from Latin ferula (“giant fennel”). Doublet of ferula.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.