Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “eleven” come from?

Eleven comes from Middle English elleven, from Old English endleofan, from Proto-Germanic ainalif, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European óynos meaning one.

eleven (English): The cardinal number occurring after ten and...

Definitions

  1. The cardinal number occurring after ten and...

Ancestry of “eleven”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhundendleftigone hundred and ten
2Old Englishhunddog; hundred
3Proto-West Germanichunddog
4Proto-Germanichundazdog
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwn̥tós—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwṓdog

Words derived from “eleven”

  • elevens
  • elevenpence
  • elevenses
  • elevenfold
  • eleventy
  • elevenpenny
  • elevenish
  • eleventeen
  • eleventeenth
  • forty-leven
  • elevenness
  • elevenscore
  • elevensome
  • イレブン
  • eleven
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱwṓ →