Where does “ælf” come from?

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

ælf (Old English): Alternative form of ielf; incubus, elf; elf

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of ielf; incubus, elf; elf

Ancestry of “ælf”, step by step

ælf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English ielf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishielfelf
2Proto-West Germanicalbielf, fairy
3Proto-Germanicalbīriver
4LatinAlbis—
5LatinAlbeus—

via Proto-Germanic albiz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicalbizelf, fairy
2Proto-Indo-Europeanalbʰóswhite

Words derived from “ælf”

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