heddle
/ˈhɛdəl/
heddle noun: a component in a loom, being one of a number of similar components, through the eye of each of which a distinct strand of the warp is threaded.
Noun
heddle (plural heddles)
- A component in a loom, being one of a number of similar components, through the eye of each of which a distinct strand of the warp is threaded.
- The only other table, generally used by operative weavers, is that for setting the heddles, so as to correspond with the reed. Few weavers are in possession of a sufficient variety of heddles, to suit every reed in which they may be employed to weave cloth.1808, John Duncan, Practical and Descriptive Essays on the Art of Weaving, volume 1, page 72
- The heddles and heddle frames, Fig. 3, and the reed may be purchased from dealers in craftwork supplies.1948 January, “Make Weaving Your Hobby”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 89, number 1, page 190
- One of the sets of parallel doubled threads which, with mounting, compose the harness employed to guide the warp threads to the lathe or batten in a loom.
Verb
heddle (third-person singular simple present heddles, present participle heddling, simple past and past participle heddled)
- To thread each strand of the warp through the eye of a heddle.
- After each frame has been heddled, stand upright within easy reach until the full set has been completed.1947, Rayon Textile Monthly, volume 28, page 377
- This, of course, discounts the idea that the system of heddling based on Icelandic descriptions (Hoffmann, 1964, 188, fig. 91) has been used for all time, although it could in theory have been used for any of the 2/2 twills in the York collection.1982, Arthur MacGregor, Anglo-Scandinavian Finds from Lloyds Bank, Pavement, and Other Sites, volume 17, part 3, page 118
Synonyms of heddle
Forms of heddle
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | heddles |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | heddles |
| present participle | heddling |
| past participle | heddled |
| past | heddled |
Origin of heddle
From Middle English helde, from Old English hefeld, from the root of Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to have, heave”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. Cognate with Old Saxon hevild, Middle Low German hevelte, Icelandic hafald.
Words formed from heddle
Phrases with heddle
Questions about heddle
- What does heddle mean?
- Heddle means a component in a loom, being one of a number of similar components, through the eye of each of which a distinct strand of the warp is threaded.
- What part of speech is heddle?
- Heddle can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce heddle?
- Heddle is pronounced /ˈhɛdəl/.
- What is the plural of heddle?
- The plural of heddle is heddles.
Words near heddle in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: heddle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-heddle.wav.
Cite this entry: “heddle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/heddle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.