gavelockn.

Etymology: Old English gafeluc strong masculine has the form of a regular diminutive of gafel, geafel fork (see gable n.¹); the senses, however, are somewhat difficult to account for on this view of the etymology: evidence is lacking for the supposition that the word originally meant a forked or barbed arrow (compare fork n. 9) and a forked crowbar. Words of closely similar form and meaning are Old Norse gaflak , gaflok neuter javelin (perhaps adopted < English), Welsh gaflach (said to mean ‘bearded arrow’), Irish gabhla lance, Old Northern French gavelot (12th cent.), gaverlot , gavrelot , garlot (= Central French javelot , Italian giavelotto ) javelin, whence Middle Dutch gavelot , gaverloot , Middle High German gabilôt ; see also gaff n.¹ The relation between the words is uncertain. Thurneysen, followed by most recent etymologists, regards the Romanic word as of Celtic origin; the Old English word may possibly be adopted from the Old French (though recorded earlier) or from its source.