Variant or archaic spelling of 'forrel' or 'ferrule'; a metal band, ring, or binding used to strengthen or reinforce an object.
Variant of 'forrel,' from Old French 'virole,' ultimately from Latin 'viriola.' The different spellings show how medieval scribes wrote phonetically before standardized spelling existed.
Medieval scribes spelled 'ferrule' at least five different ways—'forrel,' 'forril,' 'virole'—because spelling didn't matter until the printing press demanded standardization around 1500.
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