/ nɑːld; NAmE nɑːrld/ adjective
1.
( of trees ) twisted and rough; covered with hard lumps :
a gnarled oak / branch / trunk
2.
( of a person or part of the body ) bent and twisted because of age or illness :
gnarled hands
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: variant of knarled , from knar , from Middle English knarre (denoting a rugged rock or stone).