cavel

C3A1V4E1L1
UK/kˈe͡ɪvə͡l/

noun

A gag.

OriginMiddle English *kavel ← Old English cæfl ← Old Norse kafli →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

cavel1

nouncavel (plural cavels)

plural cavels · alternative cavil · alternative kavil · alternative kevel · alternative kevil

  1. obsoleteA gag.
  2. dialectalA horse's bit.

cavel2

nouncavel (plural cavels)

plural cavels

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

cavel3

nouncavel (plural cavels)

plural cavels

  1. dialectalobsoleteThe stick or runestaff used in casting lots; a lot.
  2. dialectalobsoleteA part, share, lot.
  3. dialectalobsoleteA parcel or allotment of land.

Cavel4

proper nounCavel (plural Cavels)

plural Cavels

  1. A surname.

Origin

cavel · noun

  1. Old Norsekafli
  2. Old Englishcæfl“gag, bit, muzzle”
  3. Middle English*kavel
  4. Englishcavel

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”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Old Norse

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cavel · noun

See kevel.

Full word history & related roots →

cavel · noun

  1. Proto-Germanic*kablô
  2. Old Norsekafl
  3. Middle Englishcavel
  4. Englishcavel

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.

More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Proto-Germanic

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Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

clavecalve
Cite this entry
APA

cavel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavel

MLA

“cavel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavel. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cavel,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cavel.

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