pommel
Americannoun
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a knob, as on the hilt of a sword.
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the protuberant part at the front and top of a saddle.
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Architecture. a spherical ornament or finial.
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Gymnastics. either of the two curved handles on the top surface of a side horse.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the raised part on the front of a saddle
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a knob at the top of a sword or similar weapon
verb
Etymology
Origin of pommel
1300–50; (noun) Middle English pomel < Middle French, derivative of Old French pom hilt of a sword < Latin pōmum fruit; see pome, -elle
Explanation
A pommel is the rounded knob on a horse's saddle that a rider grips with one hand. The raised front of the saddle itself can also be called a pommel. Some saddles, particularly the modern western type, have a metal grip at the front, known either as a horn or a pommel. Other saddles don't have this knob, but instead have a raised front edge that's also called the pommel. When pommel is used as a verb, it means "beat or strike repeatedly," a variation on the word pummel. The Old French root is pomel, "rounded knob," from the Latin word pomum, or "apple."
Vocabulary lists containing pommel
Horsin' Around
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Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Maniac Magee
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nedoroscik secured his second bronze medal in the individual pommel horse final on Aug. 3.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2024
Rhys McClenaghan completed the gymnastics' 'Grand Slam' after winning gold on the pommel horse apparatus.
From BBC • Aug. 12, 2024
At the Paris Olympics, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team broke a 16-year dry spell and earned bronze, thanks in part to pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2024
Rhys McClenaghan has completed gymnastics' 'Grand Slam' after winning pommel horse gold at the Paris Olympics with a stunning routine.
From BBC • Aug. 3, 2024
“One should not be used as a pommel horse without fair warning. It’s simply good manners.”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
