abature
n. C2 Proficiency aba·ture
n. a small, round piece of metal used to hold a pen or pencil. It is often found on old desks or in offices.
n. a small, circular metal plate or ring used to hold a pen or pencil. Often used in the context of historical office furniture or specific drafting tools.
The old desk still has a small abature for a pencil.
The architect's drawing board featured a brass abature to keep his charcoal pencils secure during the sketching process.
Restoration of the 19th-century drafting table required the careful replacement of the original abature, which had worn down over decades of frequent use by various engineers.
From Old French abateure, from the verb abatre (“to knock down, to destroy”). See abate.