gnarl

¹ American  

[nahrl] / nɑrl /

noun

1. a knotty protuberance on a tree; knot.

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verb (used with object)

1. to twist into a knotted or distorted form.

   Synonyms:

   distort, contort

gnarl ² American  

[nahrl] / nɑrl /

verb (used without object)

1. to growl; snarl.

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gnarl ¹ British  

/ nɑːl /

noun

1. any knotty protuberance or swelling on a tree

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verb

1. (tr) to knot or cause to knot

gnarl ² British  

/ nɑːl, nɑː /

verb

1. obsolete (intr) to growl or snarl

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Etymology

Origin of gnarl¹

First recorded in 1805–15; back formation from gnarled

Origin of gnarl²

First recorded in 1585–95; variant of gnar

Explanation

To gnarl is to twist something up until it's deformed. A gnarl is something twisted up like a knot. When you gnarl something, you twist and mangle it. If you have long hair that's gnarled, it's become knotted and clumped up. You could say one of those clumps of hair is a gnarl. People's bodies can gnarl too, especially as they get older. An old person with crooked, poor posture has become gnarled. A tree that is twisted is gnarled. When something's gnarled, it's hard to untwist.

Example Sentences

Occasional slipups gnarl at the ear as well.

From Washington Post • Mar. 23, 2023

"Confrontational", "devastating", "visceral", "frazzled", "guttural, volcanic crescendos of industrial gnarl".

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2021

The gnarl of a tree trunk torques into velvet and sharpens back up.

From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2021

“I found mine in those trees,” she said, pointing to a gnarl of branches and trunks on the road.

From Reuters • Oct. 9, 2017

The one gnarl of her childhood was the knowledge that, if she did not die of one of her diseases, she would eventually have to marry and go live with in-laws.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

• alter
• belie
• deceive
• disfigure
• mangle
• misconstrue
• misinterpret
• misrepresent
• pervert
• twist
• warp