pommel

American  

[puhm-uhl, pom-] / ˈpʌm əl, ˈpɒm- /

noun

1. a knob, as on the hilt of a sword.

2. the protuberant part at the front and top of a saddle.

3. Architecture. a spherical ornament or finial.

4. Gymnastics. either of the two curved handles on the top surface of a side horse.

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verb (used with object)

pommeled, pommeling, pommelled, pommelling

1. to beat or strike with or as if with the fists or a pommel.

pommel British  

/ ˈpɒm-, ˈpʌməl /

noun

1. the raised part on the front of a saddle

2. a knob at the top of a sword or similar weapon

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verb

1. a less common word for pummel

Etymology

Origin of pommel

1300–50; (noun) Middle English pomel < Middle French, derivative of Old French pom hilt of a sword < Latin pōmum fruit; see pome, -elle

Explanation

A pommel is the rounded knob on a horse's saddle that a rider grips with one hand. The raised front of the saddle itself can also be called a pommel. Some saddles, particularly the modern western type, have a metal grip at the front, known either as a horn or a pommel. Other saddles don't have this knob, but instead have a raised front edge that's also called the pommel. When pommel is used as a verb, it means "beat or strike repeatedly," a variation on the word pummel. The Old French root is pomel, "rounded knob," from the Latin word pomum, or "apple."

Example Sentences

The 26-year-old, from County Down, Northern Ireland, won a gold medal for Team Ireland in the pommel horse at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

Then Nedoroscik performed a near-flawless pommel horse routine that helped Team USA secure the bronze, the United States men’s first Olympic medal since 2008.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2024

The Rubik's Cube-solving 'pommel horse guy' stared deep into the pommel horse, as he quietly waited his turn.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2024

Nedoroscik also took home the bronze in the individual pommel horse event.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2024

The golden pommel was smooth and rounded, its color deliberately muted; ash leaves of pale gold entwined at the hilt, and a pattern of leaves covered the scabbard.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander