rowlock

Plural: rowlocks

Noun

• A device on a boat's gunwale for holding an oar.
• a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing
• A usually U-shaped pivot attached to the gunwale (outrigger in a sport boat) of a boat that supports and guides an oar, and provides a fulcrum for rowing; an oarlock.
• A brick, for example in a course of brickwork, that is laid vertically with its tallest but slimmest side facing down, and its shortest face facing the outside of the wall (oriented so that it is taller than it is wide).

Examples

• That critical triple-letter square was the rowlock for his entire Scrabble strategy.

Synonyms

oarlock, peg, pin, thole, tholepin

Related Words

thole, tholepin, thowel