fer•rule
Pronunciation: (fer'ul, -l), [key] — n., v., -ruled, -rul•ing.
—n. - a ring or cap, usually of metal, put around the end of a post, cane, or the like, to prevent splitting.
- a short metal sleeve for strengthening a tool handle at the end holding the tool.
- a bushing or adapter holding the end of a tube and inserted into a hole in a plate in order to make a tight fit, used in boilers, condensers, etc.
- a short ring for reinforcing or decreasing the interior diameter of the end of a tube.
- a short plumbing fitting, covered at its outer end and caulked or otherwise fixed to a branch from a pipe so that it can be removed to give access to the interior of the pipe.
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- either of two fittings on the end of a section of a sectional fishing rod, one fitting serving as a plug and the other as a socket for fastening the sections together.
- one of two or more small rings spaced along the top of a casting rod to hold and guide the line.
—v.t. - to furnish with a ferrule.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.