Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “elles” come from?

elles (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic alljas, from Proto-Germanic aljas, from Proto-Indo-European h₂élyos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-.

elles (Old English): other, else; other, otherwise, different

Definitions

  1. other, else; other, otherwise, different

Ancestry of “elles”, step by step

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

Words derived from “elles”

  • else
  • els
  • elsewhither
  • elsewise
  • elsewhen
  • elsehow
  • elseness
  • elsewards
  • elsewhat
  • elseward
  • elritch
  • ells
  • elles
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →