pommel

[ puhm-uhl, pom- ]
See synonyms for pommel on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a knob, as on the hilt of a sword.

  2. the protuberant part at the front and top of a saddle.

  1. Architecture. a spherical ornament or finial.

  2. Gymnastics. either of the two curved handles on the top surface of a side horse.

verb (used with object),pom·meled, pom·mel·ing or (especially British) pom·melled, pom·mel·ling.
  1. to beat or strike with or as if with the fists or a pommel.

Origin of pommel

1
1300–50; (noun) Middle English pomel<Middle French, derivative of Old French pom hilt of a sword <Latin pōmum fruit; see pome, -elle

Words Nearby pommel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pommel in a sentence

  • The weary lady had no response ready for words of cheer; she leaned heavily over the pommel of her saddle and rode on in silence.

    Overland | John William De Forest
  • The dogs were stopped and the deer thrown over the pommel of one of the boys, and we rode on to try the Brunswick swamp.

British Dictionary definitions for pommel

pommel

/ (ˈpʌməl, ˈpɒm-) /


noun
  1. the raised part on the front of a saddle

  2. a knob at the top of a sword or similar weapon

verb-mels, -melling or -melled or US -mels, -meling or -meled
  1. a less common word for pummel

Origin of pommel

1
C14: from Old French pomel knob, from Vulgar Latin pōmellum (unattested) little apple, from Latin pōmum apple

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012