Where does “elf” come from?

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

elf (Yola): fairy

Definitions

  1. fairy

Ancestry of “elf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishelfelf, fairy; spirit, shade
2Old Englishielfelf
3Proto-West Germanicalbielf, fairy
4Proto-Germanicalbīriver
5LatinAlbis—
6LatinAlbeus—
Every word from Latin Albeus →Every word from Proto-Germanic albī →Every word from Latin Albis →