-f(ə)nə(r) noun
( -s )
: one that stiffens: as
a. : a worker who sizes hats
b. : something (as buckram or a piece of paperboard) used for stiffening a manufactured article ; specifically : counter V 5
c. : any of a number of vertical angles secured at intervals across the entire width of the web of a large plate girder to prevent buckling
d. : an angle iron, channel, or other structural shape used to increase the rigidity of plating on a ship's bulkhead — called also stiffening bar
e. : a structural member other than a flat sheet used to reinforce the frame of an aircraft — compare stringer
f. : an alcoholic bracer