PURFLE

Etymology

Noun

purfle (plural purfles)

An ornamental border on clothing, furniture or a violin; beading, stringing.

(heraldry) An ornament consisting of a bordure of ermines, furs, etc. or gold studs or mountings.

Verb

purfle (third-person singular simple present purfles, present participle purfling, simple past and past participle purfled)

(transitive, archaic) To decorate (wood, cloth etc.) with a purfle or ornamental border; to border.

(heraldry, transitive) To ornament with a bordure of ermines, furs, etc. or with gold studs or mountings.

Source: Wiktionary


Pur"fle, v. t. Etym: [OF. pourfiler; pour for + fil a thread, L. filum. See Profile, and cf. Purl a border.]

1. To decorate with a wrought or flowered border; to embroider; to ornament with metallic threads; as, to purfle with blue and white. P. Plowman. A goodly lady clad in scarlet red, Purfled with gold and pearl of rich assay. Spenser.

2. (Her.)

Definition: To ornament with a bordure of emines, furs, and the like; also, with gold studs or mountings.

Pur"fle, Pur"flew, n.

1. A hem, border., or trimming, as of embroidered work.

2. (Her.)

Definition: A border of any heraldic fur.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

6 June 2025

PUNGENCY

(noun) wit having a sharp and caustic quality; “he commented with typical pungency”; “the bite of satire”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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