English word origin

Etymology of cavel

From Middle English *kavel, kevel, from Old English cæfl (“gag, bit, muzzle”), possibly from or akin to Old Norse kafli, kefli (“a piece of wood, gag”).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A gag. · A horse's bit.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English *kavel, kevel, from Old English cæfl (“gag, bit, muzzle”), possibly from or akin to Old Norse kafli, kefli (“a piece of wood, gag”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mention*kavelenm
Inherited-form mentioncæflang · gag, bit, muzzle
Derivation mentionkaflinon

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "*kavel"
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    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "cæfl",
        "t": "gag, bit, muzzle"
      },
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    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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    }
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    [
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      "Reconstruction:Middle English/kavel"
    ],
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      "kevel#Middle_English"
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      "cæfl#Old_English"
    ],
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      "kafli#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "kefli#Old_Norse"
    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative form of kevel (“stonemason's hammer”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See kevel.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

The stick or runestaff used in casting lots; a lot. · A part, share, lot. · A parcel or allotment of land.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English cavel, kavell, kevell, from Old Norse kafl, kafli (“long, round piece of wood, staff”), from Proto-Germanic *kablô, *kablaz. Compare also Middle Dutch kāvelen (“to draw lots, a lot”), kavele (“fate, lottery”), modern Dutch kavel (“lot, plot of land”), dialectal German Kabel.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentioncavelenm
Derivation mentionkaflnon
Derivation mention*kablôgem-pro
Cognate mentionkāvelendum · to draw lots, a lot
Cognate mentionkavelnl · lot, plot of land
Cognate mentionKabelde

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for cavel →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Y2F2ZWw