Meaning

noun a handgrip that a gymnast uses when performing exercises on a pommel horse

noun handgrip formed by the raised front part of a saddle

noun an ornament in the shape of a ball on the hilt of a sword or dagger

originFrom Middle English pomel, from Old French pomel and Medieval Latin pomellum, pumellum, presumedly via Vulgar Latin *pomellum (“ball, knob”), the diminutive of Late Latin pōmum (“apple”). Compare French pommeau, Spanish pomo, and Swedish pumla.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0