hatchel
A comb used to separate flax fibers.
One end of the bundle being hatchelled, it is turned round, and the other is treated in the same way; and the process is repeated on finer hatchels.
Where it comes from
From Middle English hechele, of West Germanic origin, related to the root of hook. Doublet of hackle and heckle.
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry hatchel (CC BY-SA 4.0).