Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “elevenses” come from?

elevenses (English) comes from English elevens, from English eleven, from Old English hundendleftig, from Old English hund, from Proto-West Germanic hund, from Proto-Germanic hundaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwn̥tós, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwṓ — dog.

elevenses (English): A short mid-morning break taken around eleven...

Definitions

  1. A short mid-morning break taken around eleven...

Ancestry of “elevenses”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishelevensplural of eleven; the eleven-o'clock meal
2EnglishelevenThe cardinal number occurring after ten and...
3Old Englishhundendleftigone hundred and ten
4Old Englishhunddog; hundred
5Proto-West Germanichunddog
6Proto-Germanichundazdog
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwn̥tós—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwṓdog
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱwṓ →