cavel

cavel

English

Etymology1

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”).

Alternative forms

• cavil, kevel, kevil

Noun

cavel (plural cavels)

1. (obsolete) A gag.
2. (dialectal) A horse's bit.

Noun

cavel (plural cavels)

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

Etymology 3

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, alot”), kavele (“fate, lottery”), modern Dutch kavel (“lot, plot of land”), dialectal German Kabel.

Noun

cavel (plural cavels)

1. (obsolete or dialectal) The stick or runestaff used in casting lots; a lot.
2. (obsolete or dialectal) A part, share, lot.
3. (obsolete or dialectal) A parcel or allotment of land.