Knurl

//nɝl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A contorted knot in wood.
  2. 2
    A crossgrained protuberance; a nodule; a boss or projection.
  3. 3
    A lined or crossgrained pattern of ridges or indentations rolled or pressed into a part for grip.
Verb
  1. 1
    To roll or press a pattern of ridges or indentations into a part for grip.

Etymology

From knur + -le (“diminutive”), from Middle English knarre (“knot in wood”), earlier sense “a stone”, likely influenced by Old Norse knǫrr. gnarl is a later variant, from gnarled, via knurled.

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