Etymology Dictionary

FARDEL,  a pack, bundle; obsolete.  (F.)   In Shak. Hamlet, iii. 1. 76.   M.E. fardel, Rom. of the Rose, 5686.—O.F. fardel, the true old form of fardeau, 'a fardle, burthen, truss, pack;' Cot.   Cf. Low Lat. fardellus, a burden, pack, bundle.   Fard-el is a dimin. of F. farde, a burden, still in use in the sense of 'bale of coffee;' cf. Span. and Port. fardel, fardo, a pack, bundle.   β. Origin uncertain; but prob. of Arabic origin, as suggested by Diez, though I am unable to trace the Arab. original to which he refers.   ¶ O.F. fardel (though not in Burguy) is a true word, and occurs in Littré, and in a quotation in Raynouard, who also gives the Prov. form as fardel.   Devic (Supp. to Littré) cites Arab. fardah, a package. [†]

ADDENDA

(F.,—Span.,—Arab.)   Besides O.F. fardel, we actually find the curious form hardel, and the dimin. hardeillon, for which see Bartsch; and still more strangely, we find hardell, to pack in a bundle, even in English, in the Boke of St. Albans, leaf f 4.   These forms go far to settle the etymology.   They are clearly Spanish, and due to the common substitution of h for f in that language.   Consequently, the word is probably Moorish, and the Arabic origin is almost certain.