What does gambrel mean?
A gambrel is best known today through architecture: a gambrel roof is a symmetrical roof with two slopes on each side, the lower slope steeper than the upper, producing a rounded-looking profile that maximizes interior headroom. This design is characteristic of colonial American homes, Cape Cod cottages, and countless barns, which is why many people simply call it a 'barn roof.' The word's older and more literal meaning is anatomical: the gambrel is the hock joint on a horse's hind leg, comparable to the human ankle. The connection between the two senses is practical — butchers once hung slaughtered animals by their gambrels using a device called a gambrel stick, whose curved shape resembles the roof profile, giving rise to the architectural term. The word appears most often in historical, veterinary, and real-estate contexts, and lends a pleasantly rustic, precise flavor to descriptions of traditional buildings.
The hock joint of a horse's hind leg, or the leg of an animal so named when prepared as food.
"The farrier noted a slight swelling above the horse's left gambrel."
In everyday speech, 'hock' is more common; 'gambrel' survives mainly in veterinary and agricultural usage.
A roof with two slopes on each side, the lower slope steeper than the upper, common on barns and colonial American houses.
"They restored the house's original gambrel, replacing the weathered cedar shingles."
Almost always encountered as 'gambrel roof' rather than alone.
Standard plural; used both for pairs of animal joints and for multiple roofs.
"Several barns along the road still show their weathered gambrels against the skyline."
That classic 'barn roof' shape you can picture instantly has a name — and it comes from the leg of a horse.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of gambrel
The word gambrel entered English in the early seventeenth century, likely borrowed from a northern French form such as Old French gambier or gamberel, ultimately derived from gambe, meaning 'leg,' which traces back to Late Latin gamba ('horse's hoof or hock'). The same Latin root produced English relatives such as gammon (a cured ham) and gambado, reflecting the consistent association with legs and haunches. The architectural sense arose because the curved gambrel stick used to hang carcasses resembled the shape later applied to the distinctive roof.
How gambrel is actually used
The roof sense almost always appears in the compound 'gambrel roof' or 'gambrel-roofed', especially in architectural and real-estate writing about colonial American and Dutch-style houses. The anatomical sense of the hock joint is chiefly used in veterinary, equestrian, and agricultural contexts, while 'hock' is the more general everyday term. The word carries a slightly rustic, traditional register.
Easily confused with gambrel
A gimbal is a pivoted support that keeps an object level, while a gambrel is either a horse's hock joint or a two-sloped roof style.
To gamble means to wager money or take risks, whereas a gambrel is a roof shape or the hock of a horse.