Definition of Cabriole leg

A cabriole leg is one of (usually) four vertical supports of a piece of furniture shaped in two curves; the upper arc is , while lower is ; the upper curve always bows outward, while the lower curve bows inward. The axes of the two curves must lie within the same plane. This design was used by the ancient Chinese and Greeks, but emerged in Europe in the very early 18th century, when it was incorporated into the more curvilinear styles produced in France, England and Holland.