æl-

Old English

Etymology 1

Combining form of eall. The prefix and the full word had been different at least since Proto-Germanic times: eall is from Proto-Germanic *allaz, with two L's, while æl- is from *ala-, with one L.

Alternative forms

• eal-, eall-

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æl/

Prefix

æl-

1. all; complete, completely

   ‎æl- + ‎gylden (“golden”) → ‎ælgylden (“made of pure gold”)

   ‎æl- + ‎miht (“power”) → ‎ælmiht (“omnipotence”)

   ‎æl- + ‎mihtiġ (“powerful”) → ‎ælmihtiġ (“all-powerful”)

   ‎æl- + ‎nīewe (“new”) → ‎ælnīewe (“brand new”)

   ‎æl- + ‎mierca (“dark”) → ‎ælmierca (“black person”)

2. quite, very

   ‎æl- + ‎fela (“many”) → ‎ælfela (“very many”)

Usage notes

• Do not confuse this or the term below with the noun ǣl, which means "eel." Ǣlnett means "eel net," not "all-net," while ælmiht means omnipotence, not eel power.

Derived terms

Old English terms prefixed with æl-

Descendants

• Middle English: all-, al-
  • English: all-, al-
  • Scots: a'-, aw- au-

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *alja- ~ *ali-, combining form of *aljaz (“other”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æl/

Prefix

æl-

1. Alternative form of el-