English word origin

Etymology of kevel

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 strong cleat to which large ropes are belayed. · A stonemason's hammer.

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

From English dialect kevil, cavel (“rod, pole, a large hammer”), from Middle English kevel, *kavel (“a large stonemason's hammer”), from Old Norse kefli, kafli n (“a cylinder, stick, piece of wood”) and Old Norse kefli, kafli m (“a piece cut off, buoy, piece”). Compare Icelandic kefli (“cylinder, a stick, mangle”), and Danish kievle (“a roller”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionkevelenm
Derivation mentionkeflinon
Cognate mentionkefliis · cylinder, a stick, mangle
Cognate mentionkievleda · a roller

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "kevel"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English kevel"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "kefli"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse kefli"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "kefli"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse kefli"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "kefli",
        "t": "cylinder, a stick, mangle"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic kefli (“cylinder, a stick, mangle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "kievle",
        "t": "a roller"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish kievle (“a roller”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "kevil",
      "kevil#English"
    ],
    [
      "cavel",
      "cavel#English"
    ],
    [
      "kevel",
      "kevel#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*kavel",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/kavel"
    ],
    [
      "kefli",
      "kefli#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "kafli",
      "kafli#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "kefli",
      "kefli#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "kafli",
      "kafli#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "kefli",
      "kefli#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "kievle",
      "kievle#Danish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A strong cleat to which large ropes are belayed.",
        "A stonemason's hammer."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative form of cavel (“gag”).

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

From Middle English kevel. More at cavel.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionkevelenm

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "kevel"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English kevel"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
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    ],
    [
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      "cavel#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of cavel (“gag”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
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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 kevel →

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-a2V2ZWw