An Old English nobleman or person of noble birth; an aristocrat or member of the ruling class in Anglo-Saxon England.
From Old English 'athel' or 'athele,' meaning noble or of noble birth. The word appears in names like 'Ethelred' and 'Ethelbert,' where 'athel' was an honorific prefix for kings.
The word 'athel' is hidden in English royal names like Ethelred the Unready—the 'Ethel-' part literally means 'noble,' so calling him 'Ethelred' was saying 'noble-counsel'—though history suggests his counsel wasn't great!
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