Where does “elf” come from?

elf (Dutch) comes from German Elf, from English elf, from Middle English elf, from Old English ielf, from Proto-West Germanic albi, from Proto-Germanic albī, from Latin Albis, from Latin Albeus.

elf (Dutch): eleven; The number eleven, or a representation...

Definitions

eleven; The number eleven, or a representation...

Ancestry of “elf”, step by step

elf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German Elf

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	German	Elf	eleven; football team, XI; elf
2	English	elf	A luminous spirit presiding over nature and...
3	Middle English	elf	elf, fairy; spirit, shade
4	Old English	ielf	elf
5	Proto-West Germanic	albi	elf, fairy
6	Proto-Germanic	albī	river
7	Latin	Albis	—
8	Latin	Albeus	—

via Middle Dutch ellef

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Middle Dutch	ellef	—
2	Old Dutch	ellef	—
3	Proto-Germanic	ainalif	eleven
4	Proto-Germanic	-lif	left over
5	Proto-Indo-European	leyp-	to stick; fat or sticky substance
6	Proto-Indo-European	lēy-	to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...

Words derived from “elf”

Every word from Latin Albeus →