Illustration of newel
- newel 2
1
: an upright post about which the steps of a circular staircase wind
2
: a post at the foot of a straight stairway or one at a landing
Examples of newel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Located at the very top and bottom of your staircase, a newel refers to a thicker support piece that bookends your handrail and balusters to anchor the staircase into the rest of your home.
—
Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 1 Sep. 2022
In this case, a gilded dining room chair offers guests a spot to sit and take off their shoes, while a curved newel holds a purse.
—Katie Bandurski, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022
Pieces of weathered wood were made into the fireplace mantle and the newel and handrail on the stairway to the second floor.
—Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Mar. 2021
The stairs feature black newel posts, natural wood treads, and white balusters.
—John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Jan. 2023
Baumeister showed Rocca the elaborate newel post, its finial shrouded in mystery.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 25 Dec. 2022
Carefully preserved, an original newel speaks to the home's history.
—Sally Finder Weepie, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Sep. 2022
The phrase balustrade can also include the newel posts as well.
—Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 1 Sep. 2022
If your loft space came with a spiral staircase that leads to the bedroom, highlight it with a vintage newel post as HGTV star Alison Victoria did in her new Atlanta loft.
—Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 30 Aug. 2022
Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 1 Sep. 2022
In this case, a gilded dining room chair offers guests a spot to sit and take off their shoes, while a curved newel holds a purse.
—Katie Bandurski, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022
Pieces of weathered wood were made into the fireplace mantle and the newel and handrail on the stairway to the second floor.
—Richard A. Marini, San Antonio Express-News, 25 Mar. 2021
The stairs feature black newel posts, natural wood treads, and white balusters.
—John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Jan. 2023
Baumeister showed Rocca the elaborate newel post, its finial shrouded in mystery.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 25 Dec. 2022
Carefully preserved, an original newel speaks to the home's history.
—Sally Finder Weepie, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Sep. 2022
The phrase balustrade can also include the newel posts as well.
—Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 1 Sep. 2022
If your loft space came with a spiral staircase that leads to the bedroom, highlight it with a vintage newel post as HGTV star Alison Victoria did in her new Atlanta loft.
—Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, 30 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'newel.' 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
Middle English nowell, from Anglo-French nuel, noel stone of a fruit, stone cut to form a newel, from Late Latin nucalis like a nut, from Latin nuc-, nux nut — more at nut
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of newel was
in the 14th century
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Dictionary Entries Near newel
Cite this Entry
“Newel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/newel. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
newel
noun
new·el
ˈn(y)ü-əl 
1
: an upright post about which the steps of a circular staircase wind
2
: a post at the foot of a straight stairway or one at a landing
More from Merriam-Webster on newel
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about newel
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