'areel' originates from Early Modern English, specifically the formation 'a-' + 'reel', where 'a-' meant 'on/in' and 'reel' meant 'to spin or be dizzy'.

'areel' developed by prefixing 'a-' to Middle English 'reel' and was used in Early Modern English; over time the term fell out of regular use and became rare or archaic in modern English.

Initially, it meant 'in a state of reeling or spinning', and that core sense has been largely retained even as the word became archaic.