Definition of "purl" [purl]

• To flow or ripple with a murmuring sound. (verb-intransitive)
• The sound made by rippling water. (noun)
• To knit (yarn) with a purl stitch. (verb-transitive)
• To edge or finish (a handkerchief, for example) with lace or embroidery. (verb-transitive)
• To do knitting with a purl stitch. (verb-intransitive)

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.

• "Turn the work downwards (that is, the purl stitch must be turned downwards), make 4 times 2 double, 1 purl, 1 purled stitch: this is the straight row between 2 outer scallops of the lace."
• "Oh honey, when you knit, it's "purl" not something you'd find in a oyster."
• "Maybe it wasn't a 'purl' of wisdom, but my wife and I had a good laugh - because she was feeling exactly the same way with a 'secret' dress she was knitting."