New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesSpecific meaning of name element "adal"
The site defines "adal" as a Germanic element meaning "noble". But the word "noble" has multiple definitions in English; is the meaning of the element referring to the upper-class/aristocratic definition of "noble", or the moral/admirable definition? Or does the original Germanic term share this ambiguity? Just something I was curious about.
2
Replies
The base meaning is "inheriting land", the related words all revolve around inherited land. In OE the cognate terms are Ead "fortune (in both the senses of wealth and luck), (inherited) property", Éðel "patrimony, native land, inheritance" and æðeling "prince" (in a broad sense). By the OE period at least the sense of Adel (OE æðele) was already "noble, eminent, not only by inheritance, but in mind and action".
3
In early medieval times, the upper classes were thought - not only in Germany - to have the monopoly of admirable behaviour. A noble peasant would have been a contradiction in terms. In today's world, the nobility (where they still exist, eg the British House of Lords) no longer command unconditional respect and support; rather the reverse; so 'noble' has become a term used for behaviour, not ancestry: people don't hesitate to refer to a large and dignified dog as 'noble', but they are no longer surprised by ignoble behaviour on the part of titled people.
As for names with adal- as an element, they were up for grabs I suppose, though my guess is that they started in the upper classes and percolated downwards. Others will know more.
As for names with adal- as an element, they were up for grabs I suppose, though my guess is that they started in the upper classes and percolated downwards. Others will know more.
2