gnarl

gnarl 1[nahrl] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for gnarl on Thesaurus.com noun

1. a knotty protuberance on a tree; knot.

verb (used with object)

2. to twist into a knotted or distorted form.

Origin of gnarl 1First recorded in 1805–15; back formation from gnarled Synonyms for gnarl See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com 2. contort, distort. gnarl 2[nahrl] verb (used without object)

1. to growl; snarl.

Origin of gnarl 2First recorded in 1585–95; variant of gnar Related Words for gnarl screw, tangle, moan, grunt, howl, rumble, growl, cry, snarl, yap, bark, mutter, roar, writhe, deform, skew, cripple, impair, contort, maim Examples from the Web for gnarl Historical Examples of gnarl

In a little while he returned, carrying a gnarl of pine wood, which he set to blazing at the fire.

The Red Tavern

Charles Raymond Macauley

The ball is a knob or gnarl from the trunk of a tree, carefully formed into a globular shape.

The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol I of II)

Alice Bertha Gomme

British Dictionary definitions for gnarl gnarl 1 noun

1. any knotty protuberance or swelling on a tree

verb

2. (tr) to knot or cause to knot

Word Origin for gnarl C19: back formation from gnarled, probably variant of knurled; see knurl gnarl 2 gnar (nɑː) verb

1. (intr) obsolete to growl or snarl

Word Origin for gnarl C16: of imitative origin Word Origin and History for gnarl v.

“contort, twist,” 1814, a back-formation from gnarled. As a noun from 1824. Earlier the verb was used in a sense of “to snarl” (1590s).