cavel

British

/ ˈkeɪvəl /

noun

a drawing of lots among miners for an easy and profitable place at the coalface

"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

Etymology

Origin of cavel

C19: from English dialect cavel to cast lots, apportion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The fore-trysail was bent to some of the mast-hoops, and the sheet fastened to a cavel on the port side.

From At Aboukir and Acre A Story of Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023