NamesScripture

Abel

Abel, the murdered brother, is called Hebel, 'breath, vapour', the same word that Ecclesiastes uses for 'vanity' and that Modern Hebrew still uses for 'nonsense'. Arabic tradition pairs him with Cain as Hābīl and Qābīl, names that travelled on to Persia, Turkey and Indonesia, while Christian Europe kept Abel, Ábel and Finnish Aapeli.

Weakest linkCertain

The road to English

From Biblical Hebrew to Syriac, Arabic, Persian

From Arabic to Malay, Indonesian

From Koine Greek to Old Church Slavonic, Old East Slavic, Russian

From Late Latin to Italian

From Arabic to Ottoman Turkish, Turkish

From Biblical Hebrew to Modern Hebrew

From Koine Greek to Armenian

From Late Latin to French

From Late Latin to Spanish

From Late Latin to Hungarian

From Late Latin to Swedish, Finnish

600 BCEBiblical Hebrew

Hops are evenly spaced; labels show the year each form is first attested.