ar·i·el I. \ˈa(a)rēəl, ˈer-, ˈār-\noun (-s) Etymology: probably from Ariel, an airy spirit in Shakespeare's Tempest : an Australian flying phalanger of the genus Petaurus II. noun orariel gazelle (-s) Etymology: Arabic aryal, var of ayyil stag : a gazelle (Gazella arabica) of Arabia and adjacent regions