Cavel

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An allotted portion or share of something, determined by drawing lots ; a small parcel or plot of land set apart for a particular use
2. A portion given out by chance, as when lots are drawn ; a tract or plot of ground marked off as a separate piece
3. A share assigned through the casting of lots ; a bounded piece of land, typically a small plot used for building or farming

Etymology: The noun "cavel" meant a lot, a share, or a portion drawn by chance, and its path into English runs through a surprisingly physical object: a piece of wood. In Old Norse, "kafli" meant a long, round piece of wood or a staff, and the English word seems to have taken on that sense in some of its uses, while Old English "cæfl" referred to a gag or bit, a thing shoved into the mouth. Whether these were one word or cousins is uncertain, but the wooden stick is the common thread. The sense of drawing lots was carried by a related Germanic word. Middle Dutch "kāvelen" meant to draw lots, and "kavele" meant fate or a lottery, which explains how a stick used for chance became a share won by chance. Modern Dutch "kavel" still means a lot or plot of land, and the German dialect word "Kabel" preserves a related form, a reminder that a portion of land was once a portion assigned by lot.

Synonyms: lot, share, portion