tholepin
nounUK /ˈθəʊlpɪn/
US /ˈθoʊlpɪn/
A small peg on a boat that holds an oar in place.
The rower rested the oar against the tholepin and pulled hard.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A wooden peg used as a pivot for an oar in traditional boat building.
The old fishing boat had worn wooden tholepins along its sides.
3. Any small pin or peg fitted into a hole to serve as a fulcrum.
He carved a tholepin from oak to replace the broken one.
4. A nautical fitting that keeps an oar steady while rowing.
Without a tholepin, the oar slipped and the boat turned in circles.