A dialectal or archaic term for a tool handle, particularly for an axe or hoe; a variant of helving.
From Germanic roots similar to helving, possibly influenced by Low German or Dutch dialects. The -el suffix is a common diminutive or tool-naming ending in Germanic languages.
Helzel is one of those words that survived in regional German and Swiss dialects while disappearing from standard English—tracking it shows how farming vocabulary fragmented across Europe!
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