ell

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Ell, ELL, êll, 'e'll, and -ell

Translingual[edit]

Symbol[edit]

ell

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-2/T & ISO 639-3 language code for Greek.

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈɛl/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English elle, elne, from Old English eln (the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger; a unit of measure), from Proto-West Germanic *alinu, from Proto-Germanic *alinō, from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l-én-eh₂, from *Heh₃l- (elbow, forearm).

Cognate with Dutch el (ell), German Low German Ell (ell), German Elle (ell), Swedish aln (cubit; ell), Icelandic alin (cubit; ell), Latin ulna (forearm).

Noun[edit]

ell (plural ells)

  1. (historical) A measure of length. An English ell was 1¼ yards (45 inches or 114 cm), a Scottish ell was about 37 inches (94 cm), a Flemish ell was ¾ yard (27 inches or 69 cm), while certain European ells were less than 50 cm.
    • 1791, Erasmus Darwin, The Economy of Vegetation, J. Johnson, page 51:
      At certain times in the ice-mountains of Switzerland there happen cracks which have shewn the great thickness of the ice, as some of these cracks have measured three or four hundred ells deep.
    • 1841, Charles Dickens, chapter XXX, in Barnaby Rudge:
      A homely proverb recognises the existence of a troublesome class of persons who, having an inch conceded them, will take an ell.
    • 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 19:
      Berkhyas is described as being a mountain in size, his face black, his body covered with hair, his neck like that of a dragon, two boar's tusks from his mouth, his eyes wells of blood, his hair bristling like needles, his height 140 ells, his breadth 17, pigeons nestling in his snaky locks.
    • 1910, Henry James, The Finer Grain:
      If he had imputed to them conditions it was all his own doing: it came from his inveterate habit of abysmal imputation, the snatching of the ell wherever the inch peeped out, without which where would have been the tolerability of life?
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From the name of the letter L.

Noun[edit]

ell (plural ells)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter L. (more commonly el)
    • 2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170:
      I have drunk en-ee-cee-tee-ay-ar from the ef-ell-oh-doubleyou-ee-ar-ess in his gee-ay-ar-dee-ee-en many a time.
  2. An extension usually at right angles to one end of a building.
  3. Something that is L-shaped.
Alternative forms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Inherited from Latin ille. First attested in the 14th century.[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

ell (plural ells)

  1. he

Declension[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ ell”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024

Further reading[edit]

Estonian[edit]

Noun[edit]

ell (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter L.

Faroese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ell n (genitive singular els, plural ell)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter L.

Declension[edit]

n9 Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative ell ellið ell ellini
Accusative ell ellið ell ellini
Dative elli ellinum ellum ellunum
Genitive els elsins ella ellanna

See also[edit]

Hungarian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ell

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter L.

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
singular plural
nominative ell ellek
accusative ellet elleket
dative ellnek elleknek
instrumental ellel ellekkel
causal-final ellért ellekért
translative ellé ellekké
terminative ellig ellekig
essive-formal ellként ellekként
essive-modal
inessive ellben ellekben
superessive ellen elleken
adessive ellnél elleknél
illative ellbe ellekbe
sublative ellre ellekre
allative ellhez ellekhez
elative ellből ellekből
delative ellről ellekről
ablative elltől ellektől
non-attributive
possessive - singular
ellé elleké
non-attributive
possessive - plural
elléi ellekéi
Possessive forms of ell
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. ellem elljeim
2nd person sing. elled elljeid
3rd person sing. ellje elljei
1st person plural ellünk elljeink
2nd person plural elletek elljeitek
3rd person plural elljük elljeik

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • l in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
  • ell , redirecting to ellik and l in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2024)

Icelandic[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ell n (genitive singular ells, nominative plural ell)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter L.

Declension[edit]

Võro[edit]

Noun[edit]

ell (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter L.

Inflection[edit]

This noun needs an inflection-table template.