Adele

//əˈdɛl// name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An infinite sequence consisting of a real number and a p-adic number for every prime number p, such that all but finitely many of them are p-adic integers. More generally, a member of a self-dual topological ring built on any algebraic number field, and involving in a symmetric way all the completions of the field.
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A female given name from the Germanic languages.

    "The beauty and simplicity of names are altogether arbitrary: Mary and Elizabeth, and Judith, may suit a taste formed on the Puritan model, that is to say, an English and Scottish taste: the French consider Victoire, Adele, Adriane, or any other such “fanciful and romantic” names, quite as simple, and perhaps as beautiful, as Mr. Stuart does Mary and Jane."

  2. 2
    A Kwa language spoken in Ghana and neighboring Togo.

Example

More examples

"Adele watched her friend with dismay. Large tears flooded her face, she could not suppress this scream of anguish and pity: "Oh! Mary! poor Mary!"."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French Adèle, equivalent of Adela, from a Germanic root meaning “noble”. Compare athel, German edel, Old English æþele.

Etymology 2

Blend of additive + idele; coined by André Weil.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.