From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgnarledgnarled /nɑːld $ nɑːrld/ adjective 1 DNBENDa gnarled tree or branch is rough and twisted with hard lumps2 MIBODYgnarled hands or fingers are twisted, rough, and difficult to move, usually because they are old
Examples from the Corpus
gnarled• His hand was gnarled and bony.• Omi's old head was bowed and her gnarled fingers were pressed together in prayer.• Mrs Taxos mumbled crossly again and opened one gnarled hand on the donkey's back.• At least not if their gnarled hands, betokening lifetimes of hard toil, are a guide.• His gnarled hands throttled the bulwarks.• The house was called Lilac Villa, a name no one used, though the front garden contained several ancient gnarled lilac bushes.• He'd start with the gnarled old oak tree in the graveyard.• And old people, like gnarled old trees, attracted him.Origin gnarled (1600-1700) knurled “having raised lines on the surface” ((17-21 centuries)), from knurl “small part sticking out” ((17-21 centuries)) 