gnarl
/nɑːl
/noun
A rough, knotty protuberance, especially on a tree: a blackthorn topped with a two-humped gnarl...
- Lady Peacemaker was surprised to find herself looking into the eyes of a human face composed entirely from the bumps and gnarls of the tree's trunk.
- And because of its knots and gnarls it's worth even less at the chip-mill than plantation wood.
- Chism's second installation, Heaven, Hell and the Garden, offered a glimpse of a fleshy gnarl of cloth through a trap door as you mounted a low platform to admire a tall painting of sturdy underbrush.
Origin
Early 19th century: back-formation from gnarled.