Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gavelock

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
gave-lock
IPA
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A spear or dart.

Obsolete

noun

An iron crowbar.

Obsolete

Etymology

From Middle English gavelock, from Old English gafeluc (“spear, javelin”), from gafol (“fork”) + -uc (diminutive suffix). Compare Old Norse gaflak, Icelandic gaflok, Old French gavelot, glavelot, French javelot, Irish gabhal (“fork”), Welsh gaflach (“fork, dart”). More at gaff, gaffle and javelin.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *gʰeh₁bʰ-, gavelock, gafeluc

Usage

Inflected Forms

gavelocks (plural)

Questions

What does gavelock mean?
A spear or dart.
Where does gavelock come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce gavelock

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gavelock”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “gavelock”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “gavelock” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.