# nabla

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A Hebrew stringed instrument.
2. The symbol ∇, used to denote the gradient operator.

## Etymology
From Latin nabla, from Ancient Greek νάβλα (nábla, “Phoenician harp”), from ancient Hebrew נֵבֶל (nḗḇel) or a Phoenician cognate. Doublet of nebel, which comes via the modern Hebrew נֵ֤בֶל.

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