Where does “Elf” come from?
Elf (German) comes 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 (German): eleven; football team, XI; elf
Definitions
- eleven; football team, XI; elf
Ancestry of “Elf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | elf | A luminous spirit presiding over nature and... |
| 2 | Middle English | elf | elf, fairy; spirit, shade |
| 3 | Old English | ielf | elf |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | albi | elf, fairy |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | albī | river |
| 6 | Latin | Albis | — |
| 7 | Latin | Albeus | — |