tenon

(noun)

A projecting member left by cutting away the wood around it, and made to insert into a mortise, and in this way secure together the parts of a frame.

Related Terms

Examples of tenon in the following topics:

  • Architecture of the Early Dynastic Period

    • One of the most important indigenous woodworking techniques was the fixed mortise and tenon joint, where xed tenon was made by shaping the end of one timber to fit into a mortise (or hole) that is cut into a second timber.
    • A variation of this joint using a free tenon eventually became one of the most important features in Mediterranean and Egyptian shipbuilding.
    • It creates a union between two planks or other components by inserting a separate tenon into a cavity (mortise) of the corresponding size cut into each component.

  • The Chavín Civilization

    • Tenon heads are massive stone carvings of fanged jaguar heads, found at the tops of interior walls in Chavín de Huantar.

  • Architecture in Early South America

    • The walls are covered with tenon heads of many different styles, suggesting that the structure was reused for different purposes over time.