purl.
A particular stitch in knitting in which the working yarn is pulled through an existing stitch from front to back.
Meaning & usage
A particular stitch in knitting in which the working yarn is pulled through an existing stitch from front to back.
The edge of lace trimmed with loops.
An embroidered and puckered border; a hem or fringe, often of gold or silver twist; also, a pleat or fold, as of a band.
Where this word comes from
Unknown; apparently related to Scots and dialect pirl (“twist, ripple, whirl, spin”), and possibly to Older Scots pyrl ("thrust or poke at"). Compare Venetan pirlo, an embellishment where the woven threads are twisted together. May be unrelated to purfle, though the meanings are similar.
To decorate with fringe or embroidered edge
Needlework purled with gold.
To use or create a purl stitch or stitches.
Knit one, purl two.
Stockinette fabric is created by knitting the right-side rows and purling the wrong-side rows.
Where this word comes from
Unknown; apparently related to Scots and dialect pirl (“twist, ripple, whirl, spin”), and possibly to Older Scots pyrl ("thrust or poke at"). Compare Venetan pirlo, an embellishment where the woven threads are twisted together. May be unrelated to purfle, though the meanings are similar.
a heavy or headlong fall; an upset.
Where this word comes from
from Middle English pirle (“whirligig”), Middle Italian pirla (“whipping top”).
To upset, to spin, capsize, fall heavily, fall headlong.
The huntsman was purled from his horse.
Where this word comes from
from Middle English pirle (“whirligig”), Middle Italian pirla (“whipping top”).
To flow with a murmuring sound in swirls and eddies.
To rise in circles, ripples, or undulations; to curl; to mantle.
Where this word comes from
From Old Norse purla (“to babble”), possibly ultimately from an imitative Germanic base related to Dutch polder, Norwegian puldra (“to gush”) and pulla (“to bubble”), Old English polr (“marsh”).
A circle made by the motion of a fluid; an eddy; a ripple.
A gentle murmuring sound, such as that produced by the running of a liquid among obstructions.
the purl of a brook
Where this word comes from
From Old Norse purla (“to babble”), possibly ultimately from an imitative Germanic base related to Dutch polder, Norwegian puldra (“to gush”) and pulla (“to bubble”), Old English polr (“marsh”).
Ale or beer spiced with wormwood or other bitter herbs, regarded as a tonic.
Hot beer mixed with gin, sugar, and spices.
Where this word comes from
Possibly from the pearl-like appearance caused by bubbles on the surface of the liquid.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.