'arvel' originates from Old Norse, specifically the word 'arfr', where 'arfr' meant 'inheritance' or 'heir's property'.

'arvel' changed from Old Norse 'arfr' and through Middle English/Old Norse borrowing appeared as forms like 'arval' or 'arvel' in northern English and Scots, eventually surviving as the obsolete/archaic English word 'arvel'.

Initially, it meant 'inheritance' or was connected with heirs and inheritance customs, but over time it came to denote the feast or gathering associated with funerary and inheritance ceremonies (now archaic).