Etymology Map
Back to all words

Gable

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means the triangular upper part of a wall under a pitched roof

Where does the word "gable" come from? It comes from Old Norse gafl, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
gafl
Old Norse · medieval
"gable"
a gable end; Old French 'gable', from the same Germanic source, reinforced it
2
Stage 2 of 3
gable
Middle English · 1300s
"gable"
used for the pointed end walls of timber and stone houses
3
Stage 3 of 3
gable
English · 1500s
"gable"
Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The House of the Seven Gables' appeared in 1851
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Gable’s story begins in Old Norse: gafl meant “gable.” A gable end; Old French 'gable', from the same Germanic source, reinforced it. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as gable. Used for the pointed end walls of timber and stone houses. It reached English by 1500s as gable. Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The House of the Seven Gables' appeared in 1851. Today, gable means the triangular upper part of a wall under a pitched roof.