Abel
/ˈeɪ.bəl/noun
A biblical name borne by the second son of Adam and Eve, traditionally associated with innocence and victimhood.
Did you know?In the Hebrew Bible, Abel’s name is often linked to hebel, “breath” or “vanity,” which made him a lasting symbol of fragility, mortality, and the fleeting nature of life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
PS
*hbl
“to breathe; vapor, breath”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
הֶבֶל (hevel / hebel)
“breath, vapor, futility, transience”
Greek Septuagint
Greek
Ἅβελ (Habel)
“Abel, the biblical figure”
Latin Vulgate
Latin
Abel
“Abel, the biblical figure”
Modern English
English
Abel
“A biblical name; second son of Adam and Eve”