kevel

K5E1V4E1L1

noun

A strong cleat to which large ropes are belayed.

OriginMiddle English kevel ← Old Norse kefli →
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Meanings

kevel1

nounkevel (plural kevels)

plural kevels · alternative kevil · alternative cavel · alternative cavil

  1. nauticalA strong cleat to which large ropes are belayed.
  2. A stonemason's hammer.

kevel2

nounkevel (plural kevels)

plural kevels

  1. alternativeAlternative form of cavel (“gag”).

kevel3

nounkevel (plural kevels)

plural kevels

  1. A gazelle.

    […] the pasan is the most frequent, then the corinne, which differs very little from the kevel, and the proper gazelle […]

    1827, Conrad Malte-Brun, A system of universal geography

Origin

kevel · noun

  1. Old Norsekefli
  2. Middle Englishkevel
  3. Englishkevel

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”).

More words from Middle English, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →

kevel · noun

  1. Middle Englishkevel
  2. Englishkevel

From Middle English kevel. More at cavel.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Kleve
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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