cadel

C3A1D2E1L1
US[ˈkʰeɪ.dl̩]

noun

An ornate capital letter used in calligraphy, consisting of interlaced pen strokes. See :Commons:Cadel letters.

OriginLatin capitellum ← Proto-Indo-European *kauput- →
RareScrabble 8
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncadel (plural cadels)

plural cadels

  1. An ornate capital letter used in calligraphy, consisting of interlaced pen strokes. See :Commons:Cadel letters.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kauput-
  3. Latincaput“head”
  4. Latincapitellum
  5. Englishcadel

From Latin capitellum, diminuitive of Latin caput (“head”), from Proto-Indo-European *kauput- (English head), itself from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. Doublet of captain. Cognate with French cadeau. Doublet of caddie, cadet, capital, capitellum, and caudillo.

More words from Latin, Proto-Indo-European

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

decallacedcladeCadleclead
Cite this entry
APA

cadel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cadel

MLA

“cadel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cadel. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cadel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cadel.

Source: cadel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.