fermail

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French fermail (also fermeil, fermal), from Vulgar Latin *firmāc(u)lum, a noun derived from Latin firmāre (“make fast”). By surface analysis, fermer +‎ -ail. Compare Occitan fermalh, Italian fermaglio, and English fermillet, which was borrowed from a diminutive of the Old French word.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɛʁ.maj/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

fermail m (plural fermaux)

1. clasp, buckle

Further reading

• “fermail”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.