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athel

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athel¹

  • /ˈæθəl/
  • /ˈeɪθəl/

Where it comes from

From Middle English athel, ethel, hathel (“noble; nobleman, hero”), from Old English æþele (“noble”), from Proto-West Germanic *aþulī, from Proto-Germanic *aþulijaz (“of noble birth, noble”), from *aþalą (“nature; nobility”).

Cognates

Akin to Saterland Frisian eedel (“noble”), Oadel (“nobility”), West Frisian eal (“noble”), Dutch adel (“nobility”), edel (“noble”), German Adel (“nobility”), edel (“noble”), Yiddish אַדל (adl, “nobility”), איידל (eydl, “noble”), Elfdalian aðel (“noble; nobility”), Faroese aðal (“noble; nobility”), Icelandic aðal (“speciality, hallmark, characteristic”), aðall (“nobility”). Middle English form hathel due to conflation with Old English hæleþ (“hero”). See heleth.

adjective more athel · most athel · athil · athill · aethel · æthel

  1. obsolete noble, highborn
  2. obsolete excellent, splendid, fine
  3. obsolete genuine, sincere, devout

noun athels · athil · athill · aethel · æthel · ethel

  1. obsolete A chief or lord. To tell of his deir weid war doutles delite, And alse ter for to tell the travalis war tight. His name and his nobillay wes noght for to nyte; Thair wes na hathill sa heich, be half ane fute hicht.

athel²

  • /ˈæθəl/
  • /ˈeɪθəl/

Where it comes from

From Arabic أَثَل (ʔaṯal).

noun athels · athil · athill · aethel · æthel · ethel

  1. A kind of tamarisk native to northern Africa and the Middle East, Tamarix aphylla, planted widely elsewhere as a shade tree and a windbreak due to its tolerance of heat and of alkaline soils, but tending to become invasive outside of its native range.

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MLA

"athel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/athel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

athel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/athel

Chicago

"athel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/athel.

BibTeX
@misc{athel_2026,
  title = {athel},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/athel},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}