What does "thole" mean?
A pin in the side of a boat which acts as a fulcrum for the oars.
Thole
/θəʊl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pin in the side of a boat which acts as a fulcrum for the oars.
- Grammar: thole is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: tholepin, axis, bear, bear up under.
- Useful contrasts: abandon, avoid, collapse.
- Usage evidence: Seventy beds keeps he there teeming mothers are wont that they lie for to thole and bring forth bairns hale so God’s angel to Mary quoth.
How to use "thole"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "thole" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "thole" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "thole" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "thole" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "thole" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "tholepin" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "thole", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pin in the side of a boat which acts as a fulcrum for the oars.
"Swiftly they glided away, like the shade of a cloud on the prairie. / After the sound of their oars on the tholes had died in the distance, / As from a magic trance the sleepers awoke, [...]"
- 2 A cupola, a dome, a rotunda; a tholus.
"Philostratus relates that the king's house in Babylon had a roof of brass, which shone like lightning, and that in that house there was a chamber, whose ceiling was a thole (that is, a concave hemisphere) made in imitation of some system of the heaven, and with sapphire-coloured stones, […] and from the thole were suspended four golden doves, or iynges, who were called the Tongues of the Gods."
- 3 a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing wordnet
- 4 A pin, or handle, of the snath (shaft) of a scythe.
"The nature of my invention consists in curving forward that portion of the scythe snath below the right nib or thole, to such an extent as to form an obtuse angle between the scythe and snath at the point where they are joined, and also in such a manner as to equalize the labor between the right and left hands; whereas, in snaths now in use, the greatest amount of labor falls upon the right arm."
Verb
- 1 To suffer. dated, intransitive
"Seventy beds keeps he there teeming mothers are wont that they lie for to thole and bring forth bairns hale so God’s angel to Mary quoth."
- 2 To endure, to put up with, to tolerate. Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland, transitive
"Nor was long Poſſeſſion in molendino regio, of receiving Multures for all Corns of a Barony promiſcuouſly without exception of Teind, found to bring the Teind under a Thirlage, Except ſuch as tholed Fire and Water there."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"Seventy beds keeps he there teeming mothers are wont that they lie for to thole and bring forth bairns hale so God’s angel to Mary quoth."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "thole"?
Common synonyms include: tholepin, axis, bear, bear up under, bearing, button.
How do you use "thole" in a sentence?
Seventy beds keeps he there teeming mothers are wont that they lie for to thole and bring forth bairns hale so God’s angel to Mary quoth.
How do you pronounce "thole"?
Pronounced /θəʊl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English thōle, from tholen, tholien, from Old English þolian, from Proto-West Germanic *þolēn, from Proto-Germanic *þulāną (“to suffer”), from Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“to bear, suffer; to support”), compare Norwegian Bokmål tåle.
Etymology 2
From Middle English thō̆le (“a peg”), from Old English þol, þoll (“oar-pin, rowlock; thole”), from Proto-West Germanic *þoll, from Proto-Germanic *þullaz, *þullō (“beam; thole”), from Proto-Indo-European *tūl-, *twel- (“bush; sphere”). The word is cognate with Danish told (“thole”), Dutch dol (“thole; oarlock”), Low German Doll (“thole; oarlock”).
Etymology 3
Anglicization of Latin tholus (“cupola, dome, rotunda”), from Ancient Greek θόλος (thólos, “dome, vault”), further etymology uncertain but possibly cognate with θᾰ́λᾰμος (thắlămos, “bedroom; inner chamber”) and/or English dale. Doublet of tholus and tholos.