/ˈɹɪvət/
OriginFrom Old French rivet (13th century), from the verb Old French river (“to fetter [a person]”) (12th century), from Old French rive (“rim, edge”) (ca. 1100), which is ultimately from Latin ripa (“riverbank”). Compare river, rival, riparian.
The sense "kind of footman's armour" is apparently a back-formation from almain rivet, which is apparently derived from the English noun; see that entry for more.
- A cylindrical mechanical fastener which is supplied with a factory head at one end and is used to attach multiple parts together by passing its bucktail through a hole and upsetting its end to form a field head.
- figurativelyAny fixed point or certain basis.
- obsoleteA light kind of footman's plate armour; an almain rivet.
“over his rivet he had a garment of white cloth of gold with a redde crosse”
“In 1579 it is mentioned that Almain rivets are now out of use, and in lieu of them a corselett shall be found. The rivets varied in cost; in 1509 they were to be had for 8s., in 1512 they were importe”
- transitiveTo attach or fasten parts by using rivets.
- transitiveTo install rivets (see Usage notes).
- figuratively, transitiveTo command the attention of.
- figuratively, transitiveTo make firm or immovable.
“Terror riveted him to the spot.”
Formsrivets(plural) · rivets(present, singular, third-person) · riveting(participle, present) · rivetting(UK, especially, participle, present) · riveted(participle, past) · riveted(past) · rivetted(UK, especially, participle, past) · rivetted(UK, especially, past) · Rivets(plural) · Rivest(alternative)