pontil

Meaning

Noun

• A punty; a metal rod used in the glassblowing process. After a glass vessel has been blown to approximate size and the bottom of the piece has been finalized, the rod, which is tipped with a wad of hot glass, is attached to the bottom of the vessel to hold it while the top is finalized.

Origin

• From French pontil, from Italian pontello or puntello, diminutive of punto, from Latin punctum ("a point"). puntillo, and pointel.