A curved piece of wood or iron used in butchering to hang up carcasses of animals during processing.
Variant or related form of 'gambrel,' from Old French 'gambe' meaning leg. The curved stick resembles an animal's hind leg, which inspired the name for this butchering tool used to suspend meat.
Medieval butchers had such a deep knowledge of animal anatomy that they named their tools after the very legs they were processing—a practical tool designed to mimic the body part it worked with.
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