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The house, which comes with a private boat dock and direct river access, is characterized by original architectural details from the period, a steep, pitched roof with cross gables, expansive dormer windows, intricate decorative wood trim and a wrap-around porch.—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2025 The couple rebuilt the home’s four decorative gables.—Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025 Their contemplative poses are echoed by the house’s twin triangular gables.—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 Six bedrooms, five bathrooms; $4,500,000 A country escape in Germantown with sage-green trim and gables galore.—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 21 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gable
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin gabulus, gabulum "gibbet" (borrowed from Celtic *gablo- "fork," whence Old Irish gabul "fork, gibbet, groin," Welsh gafl "fork, groin"), perhaps influenced in sense by northern Middle English and Scots gavel "triangular end of a building," borrowed from Old Norse gafl
Note:
The word gable, attested only in Anglo-French and the French of Normandy, is unlikely to be a loan from Old Norse, which would have resulted in *gavle. Old Norse gafl appears to correspond to Old High German gibil "gable," Middle Dutch and Middle Low German gevel, and Gothic gibla, though the divergence in vocalism is unexplained.
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