English
gimbal
Gimbal comes from Latin gemellus ‘twin’, and goes back to geminus.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgeminus‘twinborn, twin’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgemellus‘twin’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400gemel
- Englishearliest quotation 1902gimbal
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgeminus‘twinborn, twin’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEgemellus‘twin’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400gemel
- Englishearliest quotation 1902gimbal
Earliest quotation: 1902, Joseph Conrad: “The lamp wriggled in its gimbals, the barometer swung…”
Every English word from Latin geminus
Today it means
noun A device for suspending something, such as a ship's compass, so that it will remain level when its support is tipped.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin geminus / gimbal