El

See also: Appendix:Variations of "el"

Translingual

Symbol

El

1. (metrology) Symbol for exaliter (exalitre), an SI unit of fluid measure equal to 10¹⁸ liters (litres).

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/, [ɛɫ]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1

From Biblical Hebrew אֵל‎ (ʾēl).

Proper noun

El

1. Any of several major ancient Near East deities, including the supreme god of the Canaanite religion, but especially the supreme Hebrew God.
   • 1956, Allen Ginsberg, “Howl”, in Howl and Other Poems (Pocket Poets Series), City Lights Books, →OCLC, page 9:

     […] who bared their brains to Heaven under the El and saw Mohammedan angels staggering on tenement roofs illuminated, […]

Related terms

• Eloah, Elohim

Etymology 2

Clipping of elevated.

Proper noun

El (plural Els)

1. (transport, slang) Any one of several specific elevated railways.

   The Washington Street El was torn down in 1987.

Related terms

• L

Anagrams

• -le, LE, Le, LαE, le

Tocharian B

Etymology

Possibly from an Uyghur word meaning "stem". (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

El ?

1. an unknown-gender given name

Further reading

• Adams, Douglas Q. (2013), “El”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 103