finial (FIN-ee-ehl, FI-nee-) noun

   1. An ornamental object on top of an architectural structure or a piece
      of furniture.

   2. A curve at the end of the main stroke of a character in some italic
      fonts.

[From Middle English, finial, final, from Latin finis, end.]

   "Just ahead, rolling lawns and a canopy of pecan, willow, oak and English
   walnut trees frame an imposing multitiered manor house complete with
   portico exterior, dormer windows and a welcoming 3 1/2-foot pineapple
   finial crowning its mansard roof."
   Suzanne Murphy-Larronde, Mind Your Manors, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
   Mar 18, 2001.

This week's theme: words for odds and ends.

............................................................................
To have doubted one's own first principles is the mark of a civilized man.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet, novelist, essayist, and physician
(1809-1894)

Looking for a word or quotation previously featured in AWAD? They are all
archived at http://wordsmith.org/awad/archives.html . For the theme list,
see http://wordsmith.org/awad/themes.html . Alphabetical listing of the
words is available at http://wordsmith.org/awad/wordlist.html

Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/finial.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/finial.ram