Definition of "heddle" [hed•dle]

• One of a set of parallel cords or wires in a loom used to separate and guide the warp threads and make a path for the shuttle. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Dr.H. G. H.rrison by no means overstates the case when he says that the development of the heddle is the most important step in the evolution of the loom (H.rniman Museum H.ndbooks, No. 10, pp. 47-49)."
• "The heddle is a row of twines, cords, or wires called leashes, which are stretched vertically between two horizontal bars or rods, placed about a foot apart."
• "The heddle is the part of a loom through which all threads pass."