pommel

/ˈpɑməl/

Other forms: pommels; pommelled; pommelling; pommeling; pommeled

A pommel is the rounded knob on a horse's saddle that a rider grips with one hand. The raised front of the saddle itself can also be called a pommel.

Some saddles, particularly the modern western type, have a metal grip at the front, known either as a horn or a pommel. Other saddles don't have this knob, but instead have a raised front edge that's also called the pommel. When pommel is used as a verb, it means "beat or strike repeatedly," a variation on the word pummel. The Old French root is pomel, "rounded knob," from the Latin word pomum, or "apple."

Definitions of pommel

1. verb

   strike, usually with the fist
   synonyms: biff, pummel

   type of:

   hit

   deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument
2. noun

   handgrip formed by the raised front part of a saddle
   synonyms: saddlebow

   types:

   horn, saddle horn

   a high pommel of a Western saddle (usually metal covered with leather)

   type of:

   grip, handgrip, handle, hold

   the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it
3. noun

   a handgrip that a gymnast uses when performing exercises on a pommel horse
   type of:

   grip, handgrip, handle, hold

   the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it
4. noun

   an ornament in the shape of a ball on the hilt of a sword or dagger
   synonyms: knob

   type of:

   decoration, ornament, ornamentation

   something used to beautify