Abel

From Middle English Abel, from Old English Ābel, from Latin Abel, from Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), from Biblical Hebrew הֶבֶל (Héḇel, “Abel”), possibly from the homonymous word הֶבֶל (heḇel, “breath, vapor; vanity”) or from Akkadian 𒌉𒍑 (ablu, “son”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.bl̩/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Homophone: able

Abel

2. (biblical) The son of Adam and Eve who was killed by his brother Cain.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 4:8:

     And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

3. A male given name from Hebrew.
4. A surname originating as a patronymic.
5. An unincorporated community in Cleburne County, Alabama, United States, named after the biblical Abel.

• Cain

• -able, Able, Bale, Beal, Blea, Ebla, Elba, able, albe, bael, bale, beal, blea

Ultimately from Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), from Biblical Hebrew הֶבֶל (hével).

• IPA^(key): /ˈaː.bəl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Abel
• Rhymes: -aːbəl

Abel m

1. Abel (Biblical character)
2. a male given name of biblical origin

• diminutives: Abeltje, Abe

• bale

• IPA^(key): /a.bɛl/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

Abel m

1. Abel (biblical character)
2. a diminutive of the male given names Abeau or Abelin

• able, Bâle, béal, bêla

Abel m (proper noun, genitive singular Abels)

1. a male given name

• Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989) Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, →ISBN (Available at Málið.is under the “Eldri orðabækur” tab.)
• Kristín Bjarnadóttir, editor (2002–2025), “Abel”, in Beygingarlýsing íslensks nútímamáls [The Database of Modern Icelandic Inflection] (in Icelandic), Reykjavík: The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies

• Abēlus
• Habel (more precise borrowing from Greek)

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), itself from Biblical Hebrew הֶ֫בֶל (heḇel). The vowel, while short by etymology, is shown to be carrying stress by the descended Italian Abele and Spanish Abel.

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈa.beːɫ], [ˈa.bɛɫ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.bel]

Abē̆l m sg (genitive Abē̆lis or Abē̆l); indeclinable, variously declined, third declension

1. (biblical) Abel
2. a male given name

Third-declension noun or indeclinable noun, singular only.

• → Old English: Abel
  • English: Abel

From Latin Abel, from Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), from Hebrew הֶ֫בֶל

Abel m

1. (biblical) , the brother of Cain and the first murder victim

• English: Abel

Learned borrowing from Latin Abel.

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.bɛl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -abɛl
• Syllabification: A‧bel

Abel m pers

1. (biblical) Abel (son of Adam and Eve)
2. a male given name, equivalent to English Abel

• Abel in Polish dictionaries at PWN

From Old Galician-Portuguese Abel, from Latin Abel, from Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), from Hebrew הֶ֫בֶל.

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -ɛw, (Portugal) -ɛl
• Hyphenation: A‧bel

Abel m (plural Abéis)

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Abel
2. (biblical) Abel (son of Adam and Eve)

From Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), from Hebrew הבל (Hebel).

• IPA^(key): /ǎːbel/
• Hyphenation: A‧bel

Ábel m anim (Cyrillic spelling А́бел)

1. Abel (son of Adam and Eve)
2. a male given name

• Avelj

• “Abel”, in Portal suvremenih hrvatskih osobnih imena [Portal of contemporary Croatian personal names] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2018–2025

• IPA^(key): /aˈbel/ [aˈβ̞el]
• Rhymes: -el
• Syllabification: A‧bel

Abel m

1. (biblical) Abel
   • 1602, La Santa Biblia (antigua versión de Casiodoro de Reina), Génesis 4:8:

     Y habló Caín á su hermano Abel: y aconteció que estando ellos en el campo, Caín se levantó contra su hermano Abel, y le mató.

     And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

     (KJV)

2. a male given name, equivalent to English Abel

• diminutive: Abelito

Abel c (genitive Abels)

1. Abel (biblical character)
   • 1999 November 17, 1973 års bibelkommission, “Första Moseboken 4:2”, in Bibel 2000‎^[1], © Svenska Bibelsällskapet, accessed at Bible.com, archived from the original on 16 July 2025:

     Abel var herde och Kain brukade jorden.

     Abel was a shepherd, and Cain worked the soil.

• Abel in Nordisk familjebok (2nd ed., 1904)

Borrowed from Spanish Abel, from Latin Abel, from Ancient Greek Ἅβελ (Hábel), from Biblical Hebrew הֶבֶל (heḇel, “breath, vapor; vanity”).

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔaˈbel/ [ʔɐˈbɛl]
• Rhymes: -el
• Syllabification: A‧bel

Abél (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜊᜒᜎ᜔)

1. (biblical) Abel
2. a male given name from Spanish, equivalent to English Abel

• “Abel”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018