astragal

noun

as·​tra·​gal ˈa-stri-gəl How to pronounce astragal (audio)
1
: a narrow half-round molding
2
: a projecting strip on the edge of a folding door

Examples of astragal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Alexandria Moulding solid-pine astragal molding (WM 134), 11/16 inches by 1 3⁄8 inches by 96 inches, $16, homedepot.com. Martha Stewart, star-telegram, 26 Aug. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astragal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French astragale, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin astragalus, borrowed from Greek astrágalos "neck vertebra, ball of the ankle joint, (in plural) dice made from the talus bones of hoofed animals, molding in the capital of an Ionic column," of uncertain origin

Note: Traditionally, Greek astrágalos has been derived from a presumed suffixed form (*h2est-r̥-g-) of a heteroclitic Indo-European stem *h2est-r-/h2est-n-, formed from the base *h2ost- "bone" (see osseous); cf. astakós/ostakós "lobster, crayfish," allegedly from *h3esth1-n̥-ko- (see astaxanthin). The velar suffix has been compared with Sanskrit ásṛk, genitive asnáḥ "blood." Beekes, however, objects that a formation *ost-r-k- + a suffix -al- scarcely looks Indo-European, and that, like astakós/ostakós, the word is of substratal origin (Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2010; The Development of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Greek, Mouton, 1969, p. 51). See also ostracon, oyster.

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of astragal was in 1563

Dictionary Entries Near astragal

Cite this Entry

“Astragal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astragal. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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