# gnarled

> English word · Adjective · IPA /nɑː(ɹ)ld/ · frequency rank #61,498

## Definitions
1. Knotty and misshapen.
2. Made rough by age or hard work.

## Etymology
First attested Shakespeare 1603:
: Thy sharpe and sulpherous bolt Splits the vn-wedgable [unwedgable] and gnarled Oke [oak].
: Measure for Measure, Act II, scene ii, line 116
Variant of knurled, from knurl. By surface analysis, gnarl + -ed, though gnarl is a later back-formation. Popular use by 19th century.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gnarled