Sentence:  More than three decades later, Ms. Pelosi is all but assured on Thursday of reclaiming her former title as speaker of the House, the first lawmaker in more than half a century to hold the office twice. With the <WSD>gavel</WSD> in hand, she will cement her status as the highest-ranking and most powerful elected woman in American political history. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A wooden mallet, used by a courtroom judge, or by a committee chairman, struck against a sounding block to quieten those present, or by an auctioneer to accept the highest bid at auction.