▪ I. † tavel, n.1 Obs.
Forms: 1 tæfl, tæfel, 3 tævel, tavel.
[OE. tæfel fem., = WGer. *taƀal, ON. tafl, OHG. zabal, ad. late L. or Com. Romanic tav(o)la:—L. tabula table, board, esp. board to play on, in which sense it was taken app. bef. 400 into WGer. See table.]
A die for playing with; also, a game of chance, or the board on which it is played. Also attrib. Hence (in OE.) tæfl-stán, a piece or ‘man’ for playing with, a die; (ME.) tævelbred = table-board 1, ON. taflborð; (OE.) tæflere, a player at tavel or with dice.
| a 800 Erfurt Gloss. 6 Alea, tefil. c 1000 ælfric Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 150/21–5 Alea, tæfel. Aleæ, tæfelstanas. Aleator, tæflere. Pirgus, cyningstan on tæfle. Tessere, uel lepusculæ, feðerscite tæfel. c 1000 in Thorpe Codex Exon. 331/19 Dryhten..dæleð sumum tæfle cræft, bleo-bordes ᵹebreᵹd. Ibid. 345/2 Hy tweᵹen sceolon tæfle ymb sittan..habban him ᵹomen on borde. c 1205 Lay. 8133 Summen pleoden on tæuelbrede. c 1275 Ibid., Somme pleoide mid tauel. |
▪ II. † ˈtavel, v. Obs.
[OE. tæflian, f. tæfel, tavel n.1]
intr. To play at dice.
| a 1100 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 267/8 Cotizo, ic tæfle. a 1250 Owl & Night. 1666 Riȝt swa me gred þe manne a schame, Þat taueleþ & forleost þat gome. |
▪ III. tavel
early var. of tevel v. Obs. or dial.