The upper edge or rail of a ship's side; also spelled 'gunwale,' it originally referred to the side of a ship where guns were mounted.
From Middle Dutch 'gonne' (gun) + Old English 'wale' (ridge or plank). The word originally meant 'gun ridge' because guns were mounted along the ship's upper sides.
The 'gunnel' name reveals maritime history—when ships evolved to mount guns along their sides, sailors called that reinforced edge the 'gun-wale,' and the name stuck even after ships stopped mounting guns there.
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