[noo-uh
l, nyoo-] 
| 1. | newel post. |
| 2. | a central pillar or upright from which the steps of a winding stair radiate. |
| 3. | (on an escalator) the horizontal section of railing at the upper or lower end. |
| new·el (nōō'əl, nyōō'-) n.
[Middle English nouel, niewel, from Old French noiel, from Vulgar Latin *nōdellus, little knot, diminutive of Latin nōdulus, diminutive of nōdus, knot; see node.] |
newel
upright post rising at the foot of a stairway, at its landings, or at its top. These posts usually serve as anchors for handrails. Often the stringboards, which cover and connect the ends of the steps, are framed into the newels. Made of the same substance as the stairway itself-wood, stone, or metal-the newel may be simple and functional, as in most contemporary examples, or highly ornamental, as in the Elizabethan or Jacobean styles.
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