Obs. Forms: 1 tæfl, tæfel, 3 tævel, tavel. [OE. tæfel fem., = WGer. *tabal, 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.) tæfiere, 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 … daleð sumum tæfle cræft, bleo-bordes ȝebreȝd. Ibid., 345/2. Hy tweȝen sceolon tæfle ymb sittan … habban him ȝomen on borde.
c. 1205. Lay., 8133. Summen pleoden on tæuelbrede. Ibid. (c. 1275). Somme pleoide mid tauel.
