newel

/ˈnuwəl/

Other forms: newels

A newel is a post or pole that supports a spiral staircase or one end of a flight of stairs. When you put your hand on the banister of a stairway, you can see that the banister is held in place by a newel.

Newels are important structural elements of a stairway, providing the central support for a spiral staircase that winds around it, or holding up one end of a straight flight of stairs. Most newels are also decorative, with carved posts or fancy trim. Newel comes from the Old French word nouel, "knob or stone," from the Latin nodulus, the diminutive form of nodus, or "knot."

Definitions of newel

1. noun

   the central pillar of a circular staircase
   type of:

   column, pillar

   (architecture) a tall vertical cylindrical structure standing upright and used to support a structure
2. noun

   the post at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs; it supports the handrail
   synonyms: newel post

   type of:

   post

   an upright consisting of a piece of timber or metal fixed firmly in an upright position