gavel

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈɡa.vəl/
• (US) IPA: /ˈɡæ.vəl/

Etymology 1

Old English gafol.

Noun

gavel (plural gavels)

1. (historical) Rent.
2. (obsolete) Usury; interest on money.

Etymology 2

Origin obscure. Perhaps alteration of cavel (“a stone mason's hammer”). More at cavel.

Noun

gavel (plural gavels)

1. A wooden mallet, used by a judge in a courtroom, or a chairman of a committee, struck against a sounding block to quiet the rabble down.
2. (figuratively) The legal system as a whole.

Translations

wooden mallet

• Finnish: nuija (fi)
• Russian: деревянный (ru) (derevjannyj) молоток (ru) (molotok) m (судьи (ru) (sudʹi) or председателя (ru) (predsedatelja)))

• Spanish: mazo (es) m, martillo (es) m
• Swedish: klubba c, ordförandeklubba c

Verb

gavel (third-person singular simple present gavels, present participle gaveling or gavelling, simple past and past participle gaveled or gavelled)

1. To use a gavel.

   The judge gavelled for order in the courtroom after the defendant burst out with a confession.

Usage notes

• In US English, the participles are gaveled and gaveling, in British English they are gavelled and gavelling.

Translations

To use a gavel

• Finnish: nuijia (fi)

• Spanish: dar mazazos, dar martillazos

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Swedish

Noun

gavel c

1. a gable, a short wall of a building

Declension

Declension of gavel

	singular		plural
Common	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	gavel	gaveln	gavlar	gavlarna
genitive	gavels	gavelns	gavlars	gavlarnas

Related terms

• husgavel