Meaning & use
tenon
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A piece that sticks out from the end of a piece of wood, shaped to fit tightly into a hole cut in another piece.
Grammar: Countable: one tenon, two tenons. It almost always pairs with the word mortise, the matching hole.
Patterns
- cut a tenon on something
- a tenon fits into a mortise
- a tenon joint
The carpenter cut a tenon on the end of the rail so it would slot into the leg.
A well-made tenon should slide into the mortise with firm hand pressure.
Glue the tenon before you push the two pieces together.
verbtransitivetechnical
To cut a projecting piece on the end of a piece of wood so it can be fitted into a matching hole.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually the piece of wood: tenon the rail. Less common than the noun.
Patterns
- tenon a piece of wood
- tenon the end of something
They tenoned the ends of the stretchers before assembly.
The frame is tenoned and pinned rather than screwed.
Word forms
| plural | tenons |
|---|
Common combinations
- mortise and tenon joint
- The table is held together by a mortise and tenon joint, so no screws are visible.
- cut a tenon
- Use a saw and chisel to cut a tenon that fits snugly.
- a loose tenon
- A loose tenon is a separate piece inserted into two matching slots.
- the tenon fits into the mortise
- Check that the tenon fits into the mortise before you apply any glue.
- tenon saw
- A tenon saw has a stiff back that keeps the blade straight.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- tenoner noun
- A machine or person that cuts tenons.
- tenoning noun
- The process of cutting tenons.
Commonly confused: tenon or mortise? tenon or tendon?
tenon vs mortise
A mortise is the hole or slot; a tenon is the projecting piece that goes into it. The two words are often used together.
tenon vs tendon
A tendon is the strong tissue joining muscle to bone. It sounds almost the same as tenon but belongs to anatomy, not woodwork.
Practice
Which sentence uses "tenon" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A tenon is the projecting piece of wood that fits into a mortise, so it can be too small and rattle. Option 1 confuses tenon with tendon (body tissue), option 2 treats it as driving a nail, and option 3 invents a cooking meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tenon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.