elf
English
Alternative forms
- elve (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English elf, elfe, from Old English ælf (“incubus, elf”), from Proto-Germanic *albiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós (“white”).
Pronunciation
Noun
elf (plural elves)
- (Norse mythology) A luminous spirit presiding over nature and fertility and dwelling in the world of Álfheim (Elfland). Compare angel, nymph, fairy.
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Every elf, and fairy sprite, / Hop as light as bird from brier.
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Any from a race of mythical, supernatural beings resembling but seen as distinct from human beings. They are usually delicate-featured and skilled in magic or spellcrafting; sometimes depicted as clashing with dwarves, especially in modern fantasy literature.
- (fantasy) Any of the magical, typically forest-guarding races bearing some similarities to the Norse álfar (through Tolkien's Eldar).
- A very diminutive person; a dwarf.
- (South Africa) The bluefish, Lua error in Module:taxlink at line 68: Parameter "ver" is not used by this template..
Synonyms
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
Translations
|
Verb
elf (third-person singular simple present elfs, present participle elfing, simple past and past participle elfed)
- (now rare) To twist into elflocks (of hair); to mat.
- c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear
- My face I'll grime with filth, blanket my loins, elf all my hairs in knots, and with presented nakedness outface the winds and persecutions of the sky.
- c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear
See also
References
- Marshall Jones Company (1930). Mythology of All Races Series, Volume 2 Eddic, Great Britain: Marshall Jones Company, 1930, pp. 220-221.
Anagrams
Afrikaans
< 10 | 11 | 12 > |
---|---|---|
Cardinal : elf Ordinal : elfde | ||
Etymology
From Dutch elf, from Middle Dutch ellef, elf, from Old Dutch *ellef, from Proto-Germanic *ainalif.
Pronunciation
Numeral
elf
Catalan
Noun
elf m (plural elfs)
Czech
Noun
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Declension
Dutch
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch ellef, elf, from Old Dutch *ellef, from Proto-Germanic *ainalif, a compound of *ainaz and *-lif. Compare German elf, West Frisian alve, English eleven, Danish elleve.
Numeral
← 10 | 11 | 12 → |
---|---|---|
Cardinal: elf Ordinal: elfde |
elf
Noun
elf f (plural elven, diminutive elfje n)
- The number eleven, or a representation thereof.
Descendants
- Afrikaans: elf
Etymology 2
Borrowed from German Elf, itself borrowed from English elf, from Old English ælf, from Proto-Germanic *albiz. Displaced native alf, from the same Germanic source.
Noun
elf m (plural elfen, diminutive elfje n, feminine elve or elfin)
Synonyms
- (mythical being): alf
Derived terms
Anagrams
Dutch Low Saxon
Etymology
Ultimately cognate to German elf.
Numeral
elf
- eleven (11)
German
< 10 | 11 | 12 > |
---|---|---|
Cardinal : elf Ordinal : elfte | ||
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old High German einlif, from Proto-Germanic *ainalif, a compound of *ainaz and *-lif. Compare Dutch elf, West Frisian alve, English eleven, Danish elleve.
Pronunciation
Numeral
elf
Coordinate terms
- 100: hundert, einhundert
- 103: tausend, eintausend
- 104: zehntausend (Myriade)
- 106: Million (tausendmaltausend, tausendtausend)
- 109: Milliarde
- 1012: Billion
- 1015: Billiarde
- 1018: Trillion
- 1021: Trilliarde
- 1024: Quadrillion
- 1027: Quadrilliarde
- 1030: Quintillion
- 1033: Quintilliarde
- 1036: Sextillion
- 1039: Sextilliarde
- 1042: Septillion
- 1045: Septilliarde
- 1048: Oktillion
- 1051: Oktilliarde
- 1054: Nonillion
- 1057: Nonilliarde
- 1060: Dezillion
- 1063: Dezilliarde
- 1066: Undezillion
- 1069: Undezilliarde
- 1072: Duodezillion
- 1075: Duodezilliarde
- 1078: Tredezillion
- 1081: Tredezilliarde
- 1084: Quattuordezillion
- 1087: Quattuordezilliarde
…
- 10100: Googol
…
- 10120: Vigintillion
- 10123: Vigintilliarde
…
Derived terms
Further reading
- “elf” in Duden online
German Low German
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle Low German elvene, from Old Saxon ellevan.
Numeral
elf
Maltese
10,000 | ||||
← 100 | ← 900 | 1,000 | 2,000 → | 10,000 → |
---|---|---|---|---|
100 | ||||
Cardinal: elf |
Etymology
Numeral
elf m or f (pl elef)
Related terms
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old English elf, Anglian form of ælf, from Proto-Germanic *albiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós (“white”).
Pronunciation
Noun
elf (plural elves)
Related terms
Descendants
References
- “elf (n.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-12.
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
Compare German elf, Dutch elf, English eleven.
Numeral
elf
Polish
Pronunciation
Noun
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- elf, mythical or fantasy creature
Declension
Usage notes
The plural for the Tolkien creatures is usually elfowie.
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɛlf
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Norse mythology
- Requests for date/Shakespeare
- en:Fantasy
- South African English
- English verbs
- English terms with rare senses
- en:Mythological creatures
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Afrikaans terms derived from Old Dutch
- Afrikaans terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Afrikaans terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Afrikaans terms with IPA pronunciation
- Afrikaans terms with audio links
- Afrikaans lemmas
- Afrikaans numerals
- Afrikaans cardinal numbers
- Catalan lemmas
- Catalan nouns
- Catalan countable nouns
- Catalan masculine nouns
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Dutch/ɛlf
- Dutch terms inherited from Middle Dutch
- Dutch terms derived from Middle Dutch
- Dutch terms inherited from Old Dutch
- Dutch terms derived from Old Dutch
- Dutch terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Dutch terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch numerals
- Dutch cardinal numbers
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch feminine nouns
- Dutch terms borrowed from German
- Dutch terms derived from German
- Dutch terms derived from English
- Dutch terms derived from Old English
- Dutch masculine nouns
- nl:Eleven
- nl:One
- Dutch Low Saxon lemmas
- Dutch Low Saxon numerals
- Dutch Low Saxon cardinal numbers
- German terms inherited from Old High German
- German terms derived from Old High German
- German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- German terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- German 1-syllable words
- German terms with IPA pronunciation
- German terms with audio links
- German lemmas
- German numerals
- German cardinal numbers
- German Low German terms inherited from Middle Low German
- German Low German terms derived from Middle Low German
- German Low German terms inherited from Old Saxon
- German Low German terms derived from Old Saxon
- German Low German lemmas
- German Low German numerals
- German Low German cardinal numbers
- Maltese terms inherited from Arabic
- Maltese terms derived from Arabic
- Maltese lemmas
- Maltese numerals
- Maltese cardinal numbers
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- enm:Mythology
- Pennsylvania German lemmas
- Pennsylvania German numerals
- Pennsylvania German cardinal numbers
- Polish 1-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Polish terms with audio links
- pl:Mythological creatures