rivet
Meaning: A short metal pin or bolt used to hold together metal plates, with its headless end being beaten out or pressed down when in place. As a verb, to hold someone's attention completely.
Before welding became widespread, riveting was the primary method of joining metal structures — the Eiffel Tower contains 2.5 million rivets, and early aircraft were riveted together. Rivets are still used in aerospace and shipbuilding. The figurative verb 'rivet' means to fascinate or transfix: 'the audience was riveted by the performance.' The adjective 'riveting' has become a common way to describe anything compellingly interesting.
Examples
- The hull of the Titanic was held together by over three million rivets, many of which were found to be defective. 泰坦尼克号的船体由超过三百万颗铆钉固定在一起,其中许多后来被发现存在缺陷。El casco del Titanic estaba unido por más de tres millones de remaches, muchos de los cuales resultaron ser defectuosos.タイタニック号の船体は300万本以上のリベットで結合されていましたが、その多くに欠陥があったことが判明しています。타이타닉호의 선체는 300만 개 이상의 리벳으로 결합되어 있었으며, 그중 상당수가 결함이 있는 것으로 밝혀졌습니다.
- The documentary was so riveting that she watched all six episodes in a single evening. 那部纪录片太引人入胜了,她一口气看完了全部六集。El documental era tan cautivador que vio los seis episodios de una sola sentada.そのドキュメンタリーはあまりにも引き込まれる内容で、彼女は一晩で全6話を見終えました。그 다큐멘터리는 너무나 몰입감 있어서 그녀는 하룻밤에 전 6편을 다 시청했습니다.
- Pop rivets allow sheet metal to be joined quickly when access is available from only one side. 抽芯铆钉可以在只能从一侧操作的情况下快速连接薄板金属。Los remaches ciegos permiten unir chapa metálica rápidamente cuando solo se tiene acceso desde un lado.ブラインドリベットは片側からしかアクセスできない場合でも、薄板金属を素早く接合できます。블라인드 리벳은 한쪽에서만 접근할 수 있는 경우에도 얇은 금속판을 신속하게 접합할 수 있습니다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: professional, media
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From Old French river (to fix, clinch), of uncertain origin, possibly related to rive (bank, shore). The figurative sense of 'fixing' someone's attention developed by the 18th century.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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