Where does “ells” come from?
ells (Middle English) comes from Old English elles, from Proto-West Germanic alljas, from Proto-Germanic aljas, from Proto-Indo-European h₂élyos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-.
Ancestry of “ells”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | elles | other, else; other, otherwise, different |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | alljas | else, otherwise, besides |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | aljas | of another, of something else |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂élyos | other, another |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | — |
Words derived from “ells”