the.com/tenon
The tongue that remembers its mortise long after the glue forgets.
means A projecting piece shaped at the end of a piece of wood (or similar material) made to fit snugly into a matching cavity (a mortise) in another piece, locking the two together.
from From French 'tenon,' from 'tenir' meaning 'to hold' — itself from Latin 'tenere,' the same root behind 'tenant' and 'tenacious.' The name is almost a description: this is the piece that does the holding.
- pairs with
- mortise, its lifelong socket soulmate
- predates
- nails by thousands of years
- found in
- Egyptian furniture and Japanese temples alike
- strength trick
- wood swells, joint tightens with age