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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

gaffle.

A lever used to bend a crossbow.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈɡæfl̩/
  1. A lever used to bend a crossbow.

    obsolete
  2. A steel spur attached to a gamecock (sometimes used figuratively).

  3. A portable fork of iron or wood in which the heavy musket formerly in use was rested that it might be accurately aimed and fired.

    historical
  4. a fork in an orienteering race.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English gaffolle, a borrowing from Middle Dutch gaffel, gafel (“fork”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *gabulu (“fork”), related to Old English gafol, ġeafel (“fork”).

verb/ˈɡæfl̩/
  1. To equip with a gaffle or similar weapon.

  2. to include a gaffle in an orienteering race.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English gaffolle, a borrowing from Middle Dutch gaffel, gafel (“fork”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *gabulu (“fork”), related to Old English gafol, ġeafel (“fork”).

verb/ˈɡæfl̩/
  1. To grab or seize

  2. To get hold of, to find.

  3. To arrest for criminal activity.

  4. To steal

  5. To swindle or bully (someone)

  6. To talk without a purpose, usually about inane or pointless topics; to babble.

Where this word comes from

Blend of gaff + grapple.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.