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

  1. eleven; football team, XI; elf

Ancestry of “Elf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishelfA luminous spirit presiding over nature and...
2Middle Englishelfelf, fairy; spirit, shade
3Old Englishielfelf
4Proto-West Germanicalbielf, fairy
5Proto-Germanicalbīriver
6LatinAlbis—
7LatinAlbeus—

Words derived from “Elf”

Every word from Latin Albeus →Every word from Proto-Germanic albī →Every word from Latin Albis →