Wiktionary

elf

See also: Elf and ELF

EnglishEdit

 
An elf drawn by Piedachu Peris

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English elf, from Old English ielf, ælf, from Proto-West Germanic *albi, from Proto-Germanic *albiz. Ultimately probably derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós (“white”). Doublet of oaf.

PronunciationEdit

  • enPR: ĕlf, IPA(key): /ɛlf/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛlf

NounEdit

elf (plural elves)

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
  1. (Norse mythology) A luminous spirit presiding over nature and fertility and dwelling in the world of Álfheim (Elfland). Compare angel, nymph, fairy.
  2. Any from a race of mythical, supernatural beings resembling but seen as distinct from human beings. They are usually delicate-featured and skilled in magic or spellcrafting; sometimes depicted as clashing with dwarves, especially in modern fantasy literature.
    • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, H.L. Brækstad, transl., Folk and Fairy Tales, page 281:
      All the fairy tales of my childhood were conjured up before my startled imagination, and appeared to be realised in the forms which surrounded me; I saw the whole forest filled with trolls, elves, and sporting dwarfs.
  3. (fantasy) Any of the magical, typically forest-guarding races bearing some similarities to the Norse álfar (through Tolkien's Eldar).
  4. A very diminutive person; a dwarf.
  5. (South Africa) The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix).

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “elf” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

SynonymsEdit

  • (supernatural creature): See goblin (hostile); fairy (small, mischievous)

HyponymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

  • → Arabic: إِلْف‎ (ʾilf)
  • → Dutch: elf
  • → French: elfe
  • → German: Elf, Elfe
  • → Japanese: エルフ (erufu)
  • → Korean: 엘프 (elpeu)

TranslationsEdit

very diminutive person — see dwarf

VerbEdit

elf (third-person singular simple present elfs, present participle elfing, simple past and past participle elfed)

  1. (now rare) To twist into elflocks (of hair); to mat.
    • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
      My face I'll grime with filth, blanket my loins, elf all my hairs in knots, and with presented nakedness outface the winds and persecutions of the sky.

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • Marshall Jones Company (1930). Mythology of All Races Series, Volume 2 Eddic, Great Britain: Marshall Jones Company, 1930, pp. 220-221.

AnagramsEdit

AfrikaansEdit

Afrikaans cardinal numbers
 <  10 11 12  > 
    Cardinal : elf
    Ordinal : elfde

EtymologyEdit

From Dutch elf, from Middle Dutch ellef, elf, from Old Dutch *ellef, from Proto-Germanic *ainalif.

PronunciationEdit

NumeralEdit

elf

  1. eleven

CatalanEdit

NounEdit

elf m (plural elfs)

  1. elf

CzechEdit

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

elf m

  1. elf

DeclensionEdit

Declension
singular plural
nominative elf elfové
genitive elfa elfů
dative elfu, elfovi elfům
accusative elfa elfy
vocative elfe elfové
locative elfu, elfovi elfech
instrumental elfem elfy

Derived termsEdit

Further readingEdit

  • elf in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
  • elf in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

DutchEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle Dutch ellef, elf, from Old Dutch *ellef, from Proto-Germanic *ainalif, a compound of *ainaz and *-lif. Compare German elf, West Frisian alve, English eleven, Danish elleve.

NumeralEdit

Dutch numbers (edit)
 ←  10 11 12  → 
    Cardinal: elf
    Ordinal: elfde

elf

  1. eleven

NounEdit

elf f (plural elven, diminutive elfje n)

  1. The number eleven, or a representation thereof.
DescendantsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

Borrowed from German Elf, itself borrowed from English elf, from Old English ælf, from Proto-West Germanic *albi, from Proto-Germanic *albiz. Displaced native alf, from the same Germanic source.

NounEdit

elf m (plural elfen or elven, diminutive elfje n, feminine elve or elfin)

  1. elf, brownie (small folkloric creature)
  2. (fantasy) elf (humanoid pointy-eared creature in fantasy)
SynonymsEdit
  • (mythical being): alf
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
  • → Papiamentu: èlfye (from the diminutive)

AnagramsEdit

Dutch Low SaxonEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Low German, from Middle Low German elvene, from Old Saxon ellevan. Related to German elf.

NumeralEdit

elf

  1. eleven (11)

GermanEdit

German cardinal numbers
 <  10 11 12  > 
    Cardinal : elf
    Ordinal : elfte

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle High German eilf, eilef, einlif, from Old High German einlif, from Proto-Germanic *ainalif, a compound of *ainaz and *-lif. Until the 19th century usually written eilf; the monophthongal form is of Central and Low German origin (Middle Low German elf). Compare Dutch elf, West Frisian alve, English eleven, Danish elleve.

PronunciationEdit

NumeralEdit

elf

  1. eleven

Coordinate termsEdit

Cardinal numbers from 0 to 99
—0 —1 —2 —3 —4 —5 —6 —7 —8 —9
0— null eins zwei drei vier fünf sechs sieben acht neun
1— zehn elf zwölf dreizehn vierzehn fünfzehn
(fuffzehn)		 sechzehn siebzehn
(siebenzehn)		 achtzehn neunzehn
2— zwanzig einundzwanzig zweiundzwanzig dreiundzwanzig vierundzwanzig fünfundzwanzig sechsundzwanzig siebenundzwanzig achtundzwanzig neunundzwanzig
3— dreißig einunddreißig zweiunddreißig dreiunddreißig vierunddreißig fünfunddreißig sechsunddreißig siebenunddreißig achtunddreißig neununddreißig
4— vierzig einundvierzig zweiundvierzig dreiundvierzig vierundvierzig fünfundvierzig sechsundvierzig siebenundvierzig achtundvierzig neunundvierzig
5— fünfzig
(fuffzig)		 einundfünfzig zweiundfünfzig dreiundfünfzig vierundfünfzig fünfundfünfzig sechsundfünfzig siebenundfünfzig achtundfünfzig neunundfünfzig
6— sechzig einundsechzig zweiundsechzig dreiundsechzig vierundsechzig fünfundsechzig sechsundsechzig siebenundsechzig achtundsechzig neunundsechzig
7— siebzig
(siebenzig)		 einundsiebzig zweiundsiebzig dreiundsiebzig vierundsiebzig fünfundsiebzig sechsundsiebzig siebenundsiebzig achtundsiebzig neunundsiebzig
8— achtzig einundachtzig zweiundachtzig dreiundachtzig vierundachtzig fünfundachtzig sechsundachtzig siebenundachtzig achtundachtzig neunundachtzig
9— neunzig einundneunzig zweiundneunzig dreiundneunzig vierundneunzig fünfundneunzig sechsundneunzig siebenundneunzig achtundneunzig neunundneunzig
Cardinal numbers from 100 onward

…

…

…

Derived termsEdit

Further readingEdit

  • “elf” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “elf” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • “elf” in Duden online
  •   elf on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de

German Low GermanEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle Low German elvene, from Old Saxon ellevan.

NumeralEdit

elf

  1. eleven

MalteseEdit

Maltese numbers (edit)
10000
1,000
100
    Cardinal: elf

EtymologyEdit

From Arabic أَلْف‎ (ʾalf).

PronunciationEdit

NumeralEdit

elf m or f (dual elfejn, plural eluf or elufijiet, paucal elef)

  1. thousand

Middle EnglishEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old English elf, Anglian form of ælf, from Proto-West Germanic *albi, from Proto-Germanic *albiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós (“white”).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

elf (plural elves)

  1. elf, fairy
    • c. 1450, Wars of Alexander‎[1], Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, passus 24, line 5258:
      Scho was so faire & so fresche · as faucon hire semed, / An elfe out of an-othire erde · or ellis an Aungell
      She was so fair and beautiful; her elegance seemed like / An elf out of another world, or else an angel.
    • c. 1450, “The Second Shepherds' Play”, in The Towneley Plays‎[2], Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse, line 616:
      he was takyn with an elfe / I saw it myself / when the clok stroke twelf / was he forshapyn
      He was taken by an elf; I saw it myself. / When the clock struck twelve, he was transfigured.
  2. spirit, shade

Related termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

  • English: elf (see there for further descendants)
  • Scots: elf
  • Yola: elf

ReferencesEdit

Pennsylvania GermanEdit

Pennsylvania German cardinal numbers
 <  10 11 12  > 
    Cardinal : elf
    Ordinal : elft

EtymologyEdit

From Rhine Franconian, from Old High German einlif. Compare German elf, Dutch elf, English eleven.

PronunciationEdit

NumeralEdit

elf

  1. eleven

PolishEdit

 
Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

EtymologyEdit

Borrowed from German Elf.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

elf m anim (diminutive elfik)

  1. elf (mythical or fantasy creature)

DeclensionEdit

Declension of elf
singular plural
nominative elf elfy
genitive elfa elfów
dative elfowi elfom
accusative elfa elfy
instrumental elfem elfami
locative elfie elfach
vocative elfie elfy

Usage notesEdit

The plural for the Tolkien creatures is usually elfowie.

Declension of elf
singular plural
nominative elf elfowie
genitive elfa elfów
dative elfowi elfom
accusative elfa elfów
instrumental elfem elfami
locative elfie elfach
vocative elfie elfowie

Derived termsEdit

adjective

Further readingEdit

  • elf in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • elf in Polish dictionaries at PWN

RomanianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From French elfe.

NounEdit

elf m (plural elfi)

  1. elf

DeclensionEdit

Declension of elf
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) elf elful (niște) elfi elfii
genitive/dative (unui) elf elfului (unor) elfi elfilor
vocative elfule elfilor

YolaEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English elf, from Old English ielf, from Proto-West Germanic *albi.

NounEdit

elf (plural elvès)

  1. fairy

ReferencesEdit

  • Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 38
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