gavel
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gavel /ˈgav(ə)l/
▶noun a small hammer with which an auctioneer, judge, etc., hits a surface to call for attention or order. ▶verb (gavels, gavelling, gavelled; US gavels, gaveling, gaveled) bring to order by use of a gavel.
– origin C19 (in the sense ‘stonemason's mallet’): of unknown origin.
'gavel' also found in these Oxford entries:
