(pronounced KA-bree-ohl)

This elegant term literally means “goat’s leap” in Italian. Though it describes the graceful ballet move that a dancer makes when he or she extends a leg in midair and strikes the other leg against it, it also describes the more static state of another type of leg: a furniture leg. Cabriole is the descriptive term for a poised, curved furniture leg that ends in an ornamental foot. This detail is prevalent in the style of the first half of the 18th century: Chippendale, Queen Anne, Early Georgian. Rather than straight and stiff, a cabriole is sinuous and supple. The leg curves out around the knee and inwards towards the bottom, narrowing towards the foot, which could be a club, a claw-and-ball, etc.