Meanings
proper nounKeble (plural Kebles)
plural Kebles
- A surname from Old English.
- abbreviationellipsisinformalOxford UniversityEllipsis of Keble College, Oxford.
Origin
Probably a doublet of Cobbold, from the Old English personal name Cūþbeald, from cūþ (“famous”) and beald (“bold”). Alternatively from Old English ceol (“ship”) + beald (“bold”). Keeble, Kibble, Kebill, Kebble, Kebbell, Keable, Kebyll are variants. The college is named for John Keble (1792–1866), Anglican theologian and Tractarian.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Keble. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Keble
MLA
“Keble.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Keble. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Keble,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Keble.
Source: Keble on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.