ell
English
/ɛl/
noun
Definitions
- (historical) A measure for cloth. An English ell was yards (45 inches), whereas a Scottish ell measured only about 37 inches and a Flemish ell was yard (27 inches).
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English elle inherited from Old English eln (a unit of measure, the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger) inherited from Proto-Germanic *alinō (elbow, ell) inherited from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l-én-eh₂.
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*Heh₃l-én-eh₂
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- Elbowgate English
- bow English
- elbow English
- elbower English
- elbowful English
- elbowless English
- elbowlike English
- elbowroom English
- elbowy English
- ellwand English
- ulna English
- wand English
- ulna Latin
- Ellbogen German
- Elle German
- ulna Italian
- el Dutch, Flemish
- ulna Spanish, Castilian
- *Heh₃l(e)n- Proto-Indo-European
- *Heh₃l- Proto-Indo-European
- *Heh₃l-én-eh₂ Proto-Indo-European
- ulna Portuguese
- *alinō Proto-Germanic
- *alīnō Proto-Germanic
- eln Old English
- elnboga Old English
- elbowe Middle English
- elle Middle English
- ellen Middle English
- elne Middle English
- ulna Irish
- alin Old Norse
- ǫln Old Norse
- albue Danish
- alen Danish
- alenlang Danish
- ulno Esperanto
- ulna Catalan, Valencian
- ulna Galician
- elne Middle Dutch
- elina Old High German
- elle Middle High German
- 𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽𐌰 Gothic
- *alinu gmw-pro
- élla Cimbrian
- éllastap Cimbrian
- elina Old Saxon
- *alina Frankish
- elne Old Frisian