Rowel - plus, name that synonym

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [April 4, 2019](#none) rowel [Audio pronunciation]( verb | ROWL Definition 1 : to goad with or as if with a pointed disk at the end of a spur 2 : [vex](, [trouble]( Scroll down for more about rowel TRENDING NOW: [redact]( [redacted]( [whitewash]( [exonerate]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING # [7 Words and Phrases Inspired by the Theater]( # ['Extort': An Old Word Doing a New Thing]( # [Does ‘Uninhibited’ Contain a Double Negative?]( # ['Accept' vs 'Except': Two Verbs, One Pronunciation]( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [The Exceptions Quiz]( One of these things is not like the others. [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? If you've seen Western movies, you've seen rowels. The noun [rowel]( names the circular, point-covered disk on the end of a spur that is used to urge powerful steeds to maximum speeds. But cowboys didn't invent rowels; knights in shining armor were sporting them even before the 12th century. English speakers of yore picked up the noun rowel from the Anglo-French roele, meaning "small wheel." It wasn't until the 16th century that rowel began to be used as a verb for the act of spurring a horse with a rowel. By the 19th century, rowel was being used as a verb for any process of prodding or goading that was as irritating as being poked in the side with a rowel. Examples of ROWEL "He folded the book shut, touched his hat, moved to the wagon, and roweled the horses around." — Colum McCann, TransAtlantic, 2013 "Then suddenly he found himself at the end of his money.… Hunger rode him and roweled him. He was no longer well fed, comfortable." — Frank Norris, McTeague, 1899 Name That Synonym Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of the verb rowel meaning "to goad": _ _ st _ g _ _ e. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( WORDS AT PLAY Wonderful Words That You're Not Using (Yet) Once you learn these rare words, we challenge you to use them in conversation [SEE THE FULL LIST [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( SHARE: [Facebook][Facebook]( [Twitter][Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 [www.merriam-webster.com](