Word Meanings - DOORNAIL - Book Publishers vocabulary database

The nail or knob on which in ancient doors the knocker struck; -- hence the old saying, "As dead as a doornail."

Related words: (words related to DOORNAIL)

• SAYING
  That which is said; a declaration; a statement, especially a proverbial one; an aphorism; a proverb. Many are the sayings of the wise, In ancient and in modern books enrolled. Milton. Syn. -- Declaration; speech; adage; maxim; aphorism; apothegm;
• SAYMAN
  One who assays.
• DOORNAIL
  The nail or knob on which in ancient doors the knocker struck; -- hence the old saying, "As dead as a doornail."
• DOORSTEAD
  Entrance or place of a door. Bp. Warburton.
• DOORSTEP
  The stone or plank forming a step before an outer door.
• DOORSTONE
  The stone forming a threshold.
• WHICHEVER; WHICHSOEVER
  Whether one or another; whether one or the other; which; that one which; as, whichever road you take, it will lead you to town.
• DOORSILL
  The sill or threshold of a door.
• WHICH
  the root of hwa who + lic body; hence properly, of what sort or kind; akin to OS. hwilik which, OFries. hwelik, D. welk, G. welch, OHG. welih, hwelih, Icel. hvilikr, Dan. & Sw. hvilken, Goth. hwileiks, 1. Of what sort or kind; what; what a; who.
• DOORSTOP
  The block or strip of wood or similar material which stops, at the right place, the shutting of a door.
• ANCIENTNESS
  The quality of being ancient; antiquity; existence from old times.
• ANCIENTLY
  1. In ancient times. 2. In an ancient manner.
• HENCE
  ending; cf. -wards), also hen, henne, hennen, heonnen, heonene, AS. heonan, heonon, heona, hine; akin to OHG. hinnan, G. hinnen, OHG. 1. From this place; away. "Or that we hence wend." Chaucer. Arise, let us go hence. John xiv. 31. I will send
• SAYER
  One who says; an utterer. Mr. Curran was something much better than a sayer of smart sayings. Jeffrey.
• STRUCKEN
  p. p. of Strike. Shak.
• KNOCKER
  One who, or that which, knocks; specifically, an instrument, or kind of hammer, fastened to a door, to be used in seeking for admittance. Shut, shut the door, good John ! fatigued, knocker; say I'm sick, I'm dead. Pope.
• STRUCK
  imp. & p. p. of Strike. Struck jury , a special jury, composed of persons having special knowledge or qualifications, selected by striking from the panel of jurors a certain number for each party, leaving the number required by law to
• SAYMASTER
  A master of assay; one who tries or proves. "Great saymaster of state." D. Jonson.
• HENCEFORWARD
  From this time forward; henceforth.
• SAY
  1. A kind of silk or satin. Thou say, thou serge, nay, thou buckram lord! Shak. 2. A delicate kind of serge, or woolen cloth. His garment neither was of silk nor say. Spenser.
• SOUTHSAY
  See SOOTHSAY
• VISAYAN
  A member of the most numerous of the native races of the Philippines, occupying the Visayan Islands and the northern coast Mindanao; also, their language. The Visayans possessed a native culture and alphabet.
• UNDERSAY
  To say by way of derogation or contradiction. Spenser.
• HEREHENCE
  From hence.
• ASSAY POUND
  A small standard weight used in assaying bullion, etc., sometimes equaling 0.5 gram, but varying with the assayer.
• WHENCEFORTH
  From, or forth from, what or which place; whence. Spenser.
• WONDERSTRUCK
  Struck with wonder, admiration, or surprise. Dryden.
• ESSAYER
  One who essays. Addison.
• GAINSAY
  To contradict; to deny; to controvert; to dispute; to forbid. I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. Luke xxi. 15. The just gods gainsay That any drop thou borrow'dst from thy mother,
• AGAINSAY
  To gainsay. Wyclif.
• MISSAY
  1. To say wrongly. 2. To speak evil of; to slander.
• THENCEFROM
  From that place.
• ESSAY
  A composition treating of any particular subject; -- usually shorter and less methodical than a formal, finished treatise; as, an essay on the life and writings of Homer; an essay on fossils, or on commerce. 3. An assay. See Assay, n.
• GAINSAYER
  One who gainsays, contradicts, or denies. "To convince the gainsayers." Tit. i. 9.