split rail

noun

1. a wooden rail split lengthwise from a log and commonly used in rustic rail and post fencing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of split rail¹

1820–30; Americanism

Example Sentences

To get there, we drove past split rail fences, fields of black-eyed Susans and grassy fields alternated with acres of burned trees and black stumps.

From Seattle Times

They split rails and made harnesses and drove ambulances.

From Washington Post

Hedges of honeysuckle—twisting, strangling vines—had grown over what must once have been a split rail fence between the house and barn.

From Literature

A cedar split rail fence borders the 1/3 acre lot and encompasses several features for young explorers.

From Washington Times

I scrambled over the white split rail fence and carefully picked my way past the sharpened stakes of the interior fence.

From Literature