Meanings
rivet1
plural rivets
- A cylindrical mechanical fastener which is supplied with a factory head at one end and is used to attach multiple parts together by passing its bucktail through a hole and upsetting its end to form a field head.
- figurativelyAny fixed point or certain basis.
- obsoleteA light kind of footman's plate armour; an almain rivet.
over his rivet he had a garment of white cloth of gold with a redde crosse
a. 1548 (date written), Edward Hall, Richard Grafton, “(please specify the part of the work)”, in The Vnion of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre & Yorke, […], London: […] Richardi Graftoni […], published 1548, →OCLC1 more example
In 1579 it is mentioned that Almain rivets are now out of use, and in lieu of them a corselett shall be found. The rivets varied in cost; in 1509 they were to be had for 8s., in 1512 they were imported at 16s., and again in 1513 […]
1903, The Archaeological Journal, page 105
present singular third person rivets · participle present riveting · UK especially participle present rivetting · participle past riveted · past riveted · UK especially participle past rivetted · UK especially past rivetted
- transitiveTo install rivets (see Usage notes).
- figurativelytransitiveTo make firm or immovable.
Terror riveted him to the spot.
Rivet2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounornament consisting of a circular rounded protuberance (as on a vault or shield or belt)
verbdirect one's attention on something
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
rivet · noun, verb
- Latinripa“riverbank”
- Old Frenchrive“rim, edge”
- Old Frenchriver“to fetter [a person]”
- Old Frenchrivet
- Englishrivet
From Old French rivet (13th century), from the verb Old French river (“to fetter [a person]”) (12th century), from Old French rive (“rim, edge”) (ca. 1100), which is ultimately from Latin ripa (“riverbank”). Compare river, rival, riparian. The sense "kind of footman's armour" is apparently a back-formation from almain rivet, which is apparently derived from the English noun; see that entry for more.
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Rivet · proper noun
- FrenchRivet
- EnglishRivet
Borrowed from French Rivet.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek βλῆτρον
- βλῆτρον (blêtron)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Arabic بِرْشَام
- بِرْشَام (biršām)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Bulgarian нит, зани́твам
- нит (nit)cylindrical mechanical fastener
- зани́твам (zanítvam)to attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- зани́твам (zanítvam)to install rivets
- приковавам (prikovavam)to command the attention of spectators
Catalan rebló, reblar
- reblócylindrical mechanical fastener
- reblarto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- reblarto install rivets
Chinese Mandarin 鉚釘 /铆钉
- 鉚釘 /铆钉 (mǎodīng)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Czech nýt, nýtovat
- nýtcylindrical mechanical fastener
- nýtovatto install rivets
Danish nitte
- nittecylindrical mechanical fastener
Dutch klinknagel, popnagelen
- klinknagelcylindrical mechanical fastener
- popnagelento attach or fasten parts by using rivets
Esperanto nito
- nitocylindrical mechanical fastener
Estonian neet
- neetcylindrical mechanical fastener
Finnish niitti, niitata
- niitticylindrical mechanical fastener
- niitatato attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- niitatato install rivets
- niitittääto install rivets
- naulitato command the attention of spectators
French rivet, riveter
- rivetcylindrical mechanical fastener
- riveterto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
German Niet, vernieten
- Nietcylindrical mechanical fastener
- vernietento attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- nietento install rivets
- fesselnto command the attention of spectators
- auf sich ziehento command the attention of spectators
Greek πριτσίνι
- πριτσίνι (pritsíni)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Hungarian szegecs, összeszegecsel
- szegecscylindrical mechanical fastener
- összeszegecselto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
Irish seam
- seamcylindrical mechanical fastener
Italian rivetto, ribattino
- rivettocylindrical mechanical fastener
- ribattinocylindrical mechanical fastener
- chiodareto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
Japanese リベット
- リベット (ribetto)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Korean 리벳
- 리벳 (ribet)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Māori riweti, rīwiti
- riweticylindrical mechanical fastener
- rīwiticylindrical mechanical fastener
- riwetito attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- riwetito install rivets
- rīwitito install rivets
Norwegian nagle, klinke
- naglecylindrical mechanical fastener
- klinkecylindrical mechanical fastener
- nitecylindrical mechanical fastener
Persian پرچ
- پرچ (parč)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Polish nit, nitować
- nitcylindrical mechanical fastener
- nitowaćto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- nitowaćto install rivets
- przykuwaćto command the attention of spectators
- przykućto command the attention of spectators
Portuguese rebite
- rebitecylindrical mechanical fastener
Romanian nit, nitui
- nitcylindrical mechanical fastener
- nituito attach or fasten parts by using rivets
Russian заклёпка, клепа́ть
- заклёпка (zakljópka)cylindrical mechanical fastener
- клепа́ть (klepátʹ)to attach or fasten parts by using rivets
Scottish Gaelic calpa
- calpacylindrical mechanical fastener
Spanish remache, roblón
- remachecylindrical mechanical fastener
- roblóncylindrical mechanical fastener
- rebitecylindrical mechanical fastener
- remacharto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- rebitarto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- roblonarto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- entibarto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- sufrirto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- remacharto install rivets
- rebitarto install rivets
- roblonarto install rivets
- entibarto install rivets
- sufrirto install rivets
Swedish nit, nita
- nitcylindrical mechanical fastener
- nitato attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- nita ihopto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- naglato attach or fasten parts by using rivets
- nitato install rivets
Tagalog rematse, rimatse
- rematsecylindrical mechanical fastener
- rimatsecylindrical mechanical fastener
Thai หมุดย้ำ
- หมุดย้ำ (mùt yáam)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Turkish perçin, perçinlemek
- perçincylindrical mechanical fastener
- perçinlemekto attach or fasten parts by using rivets
Ukrainian заклепка
- заклепка (zaklepka)cylindrical mechanical fastener
Vietnamese ri vê
- ri vêcylindrical mechanical fastener
Welsh rhybed
- rhybedcylindrical mechanical fastener
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rivet
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
rivet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rivet
“rivet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rivet. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rivet,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rivet.
Source: rivet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.