1. a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing; [syn: peg, pin, thole, tholepin, rowlock, oarlock]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
tholepin
n 1: a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the
oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing [syn: peg,
pin, thole, tholepin, rowlock, oarlock]