Gimble
/ˈɡɪm.bəl/noun
A variant spelling of gimbal, a pivoted frame that allows an object to rotate freely while remaining balanced.
Did you know?The word is associated with gimbals used in compasses, ships, cameras, and spacecraft to preserve orientation despite surrounding motion; Lewis Carroll later popularized “gimble” in his nonsense poem.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*yem-
“A root associated with joining or pairing.”
Classical Latin
Latin
gemellus
“Twin; paired; literally a little twin, from geminus, “twin.””
Old French
Old French
jumel / jumelle
“Twin or paired object; the source of the technical sense behind gimbal.”
16th Century
English
gimbal
“A pair of linked rings or supports allowing a suspended object to remain balanced.”
19th Century
English
gimble
“A variant spelling of gimbal; later also used by Lewis Carroll as a deliberately ambiguous word in “Jabberwocky.””