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Abel

American  
[ay-buhl, ah-buhl] / ˈeɪ bəl, ˈɑ bəl /

noun

  1. (in the Bible) the second son of Adam and Eve, slain by his brother, Cain.

  2. Sir Frederick Augustus, 1827–1902, English chemist: inventor of cordite.

  3. I. W., 1908–87, U.S. labor leader: president of the United Steelworkers of America 1965–77.

  4. Niels Henrik 1802–29, Norwegian mathematician.

  5. a first name.


Abel British  
/ ˈeɪbəl /

noun

  1. Old Testament the second son of Adam and Eve, a shepherd, murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:1–8)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Three years later, Kane and Abel, a ripping page-turner about the roller-coaster financial fortunes of two men who initially shared nothing but a date of birth, flew off the shelves.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

“East of Eden” parallels the Biblical story of Cain and Abel first through Adam and Charles Trask, then again through Adam’s twin sons Aron and Caleb.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

Abel took over from Buffett as CEO at the start of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

He had already handed over the reins as chief executive to hand-picked successor Greg Abel at the end of last year.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Abel just listened, as if he didn’t care much about politics.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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