gable

Definition

The triangular area at the peak of an external wall adjacent to, and terminating, two sloped roof surfaces (pitches).

Etymology

The southern English term gable probably came from Old French gable (compare modern French gâble), from Old Norse gafl. The northern form gavel is perhaps also akin to Old Norse gafl, masculine, of the same meaning (compare Swedish gavel, Danish gavl). See gafl for more etymology information.

Example Sentences

• "It was a queer sort of place—a gable-ended old house, one side palsied as it were, and leaning over sadly."
• "Although there were important developments in the internal organization of Cape houses during this period, their most obvious element is the gable. End-gables were common in medieval northern European and particularly Dutch buildings, but central gables set into the long side of roofs were more unusual and became the quintessential feature of the Cape Dutch style."
• "Qionglin Village in Kinhu with its well-preserved ancestral halls, arches, and old Fujian-style houses with interesting gables is famous for having more shrines than any other village on Kinmen."