Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “elfe” come from?

elfe (English) comes from Middle English elfe, from Old English ælfen, from Old English ælf, from Old English ielf, from Proto-West Germanic albi, from Proto-Germanic albī, from Latin Albis, from Latin Albeus.

elfe (English): A female elf, a fairy, nymph

Definitions

  1. A female elf, a fairy, nymph

Ancestry of “elfe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishelfeAlternative form of elf; Alternative form of...
2Old EnglishælfenAlternative form of ielfen; nymph, spirit, fairy
3Old EnglishælfAlternative form of ielf; incubus, elf; elf
4Old Englishielfelf
5Proto-West Germanicalbielf, fairy
6Proto-Germanicalbīriver
7LatinAlbis—
8LatinAlbeus—
Every word from Latin Albeus →