Where does “gaffle” come from?

gaffle (English) comes from English grapple, from English grab, from English -le, from Middle English -el, from Old French -el, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

gaffle (English): A lever used to bend a crossbow; A steel spur...

Definitions

  1. A lever used to bend a crossbow; A steel spur...

Ancestry of “gaffle”, step by step

gaffle traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English grapple

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgrappleTo seize something and hold it firmly; To wrestle...
2EnglishgrabTo grip suddenly; to seize; to clutch; To make a...
3English-leA frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating...
4Middle English-el
5Old French-elSuffix that usually denotes a masculine noun
6Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
7Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
8Proto-Italic-olos
9Proto-Italic-elosForms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns
10Proto-Indo-European-e-lós
11Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

via English gaff

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgaffA tool consisting of a large metal hook with a...
2Romanigavvillage
3Sauraseni Prakrit𑀕𑀸𑀫
4Sanskritग्रामan inhabited place, village, hamlet, settlement;...
5Proto-Indo-Aryangrā́mas
6Proto-Indo-Iraniangrā́masvillage, town; community
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ger-to gather; flock, herd

via Middle English gaffolle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishgaffolle
2Middle Dutchgaffel
3Proto-West Germanicgabulufork; pitchfork
4Gaulishgabalos
5Proto-Celticgabalosfork, forked branch
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰabʰlosfork, branch of tree
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós