A gable is the triangular upper part of a wall at the end of a building, between the edges of a sloping roof. It is often visible on houses with pitched roofs.
“Gable” comes from Old French “gable,” possibly from a Germanic root meaning “fork” or “pitchfork,” referring to the forked shape of the roof. It has been used in English architecture terms since the Middle Ages.
If you draw a child’s picture of a house with a triangle on top of a square, that triangle is the gable. Architects play with gables to give buildings character, from simple farmhouses to dramatic Gothic churches.
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