Where does “el-” come from?

el- (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic alljas, from Proto-Germanic aljas, from Proto-Indo-European h₂élyos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- — to grow, nourish.

el- (Old English): strange, other, else

Definitions

  1. strange, other, else

Ancestry of “el-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicalljaselse, otherwise, besides
2Proto-Germanicaljasof another, of something else
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂élyosother, another
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-to grow, nourish

Words derived from “el-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂élyos →Every word from Proto-Germanic aljas →