Where does “Cadfael” come from?

Cadfael (Welsh) comes from Welsh cad, from Proto-Celtic katus, from Proto-Indo-European kéh₃tus, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.

Cadfael (Welsh): Welsh king of Gwynedd (634 – c. 655)

Definitions

  1. Welsh king of Gwynedd (634 – c. 655)

Ancestry of “Cadfael”, step by step

Cadfael traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Welsh cad

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Welshcadbattle, army; impersonal preterite of cael
2Proto-Celtickatusbattle
3Proto-Indo-Europeankéh₃tusfight
4Proto-Indo-European-tusDerives action nouns from verb roots

via Welsh Mael

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1WelshMael—
2Middle Welshmaelprince
3Proto-Brythonic*maɣlnoble, chief
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tus →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kéh₃tus →Every word from Proto-Celtic katus →