elf

See also: Elf and ELF

English

An elf drawn by Piedachu Peris

Alternative forms

• elve (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English elf, elfe, from Old English ælf (“incubus, elf”), from Proto-Germanic *albiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elbʰós (“white”). Doublet of oaf and auf.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ĕlf, IPA^(key): /ɛlf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛlf

Noun

elf (plural elves)

1. (Norse mythology) A luminous spirit presiding over nature and fertility and dwelling in the world of Álfheim (Elfland). Compare angel, nymph, fairy.
   • c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene ii]:

     Every elf, and fairy sprite, / Hop as light as bird from brier.

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.
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).

Synonyms

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

Hyponyms

• elfe
• elven
• wood elf, wood-elf

Derived terms

• dark elf
• elfette
• elfinwood
• elfish
• Elfland
• elflike
• elflock
• light elf
• wood elf, wood-elf

 

Related terms

• elfin, elven, elvan
• elvish

Descendants

• → Dutch: elf
• → German: Elf, Elfe
• → Japanese: エルフ
• → Korean: 엘프 (elpeu)

Translations

Norse mythology: luminous spirit dwelling in Álfheim

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 精靈 (zh), 精灵 (zh) (jīnglíng)

• Finnish: valohaltia
• French: elfe (fr) m
• Galician: elfo m

• Italian: elfo (it) m
• Latin: alfus m
• Portuguese: elfo (pt) m
• Spanish: elfo m
• Swedish: alv (sv) m, älva (sv) f, alf (sv)

mythical, supernatural being

• Arabic: آلْف‎ (ar) m (ʾālf)
• Bavarian: Åip
• Bulgarian: елф (bg) m (elf)
• Catalan: elf (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 精靈 (zh), 精灵 (zh) (jīnglíng)

• Czech: elf (cs) m
• Danish: alf (da) c
• Dutch: elf (nl), alf (nl)
• Esperanto: elfo (eo)
• Estonian: haldjas (et)
• Finnish: haltia (fi), tonttu (fi), keiju (fi), peikko (fi), maahinen (fi)
• French: elfe (fr) m, lutin (fr) m, farfadet (fr) m
• Galician: ouva f
• Georgian: ელფი (elpi)
• German: Elfe (de) m, Elf (de) m, Elb (de) m, Elbe (de) m, Alb (de) m, Alp (de) m; (female) Elbin (de) f, Elfe (de) f, Elfin f

  Middle High German: elbe, alb, alp

• Greek: ξωτικό (el) n (xotikó)
• Hebrew: אלף‎ (he) m (elff)
• Hindi: देव (hi) m (dev), अप्सरा (hi) (apsarā)
• Hungarian: manó (hu), elf (hu), tündér (hu), tünde (hu)
• Icelandic: álfur (is) m
• Irish: lucharachán (ga), ealbh m
• Italian: elfo (it) m
• Japanese: 妖精 (ja) (ようせい, yōsei), エルフ (erufu)
• Korean: 엘프 (ko) (elpeu), 요정 (ko) (yojeong)

• Latin: alfus m
• Latvian: elfs m, elfa f
• Lithuanian: elfas m, elfė f
• Macedonian: ви́леник m (vílenik), џу́џе n (džúdže), елф m (elf)
• Maltese: nanu, elf
• Marathi: एल्फ m (elph)
• Norwegian: alv (no) m
• Old English: ælf
• Old High German: alp
• Old Norse: álfr
• Old Saxon: alf
• Persian: الف‎ (fa) (elf), وروجک‎ (fa) (vorujak)
• Polish: elf (pl) m
• Portuguese: elfo (pt) m
• Romanian: elf (ro)
• Russian: эльф (ru) m (elʹf), альв m (alʹv)
• Scots: eemock
• Scottish Gaelic: sìthiche m, luspardan m, tàcharan m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: патуљак, вилељак

  Roman: patuljak (sh), vilenjak (sh)

• Slovak: škriatok m
• Spanish: elfo m, duende (es) m
• Swahili: kibwengo
• Turkish: elf (tr)
• Ukrainian: ельф m (elʹf), альв m (alʹv)

fantasy: magical, typically forest-guarding creature

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 精灵 (zh) (jīnglíng)

• Finnish: haltia (fi)
• French: elfe (fr) m
• Galician: ouva f
• Hungarian: elf (hu), tünde (hu)

• Italian: elfo (it) m
• Latin: alfus m
• Portuguese: elfo (pt) m
• Spanish: elfo m
• Swedish: alv (sv) c

very diminutive person — see dwarf

Verb

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. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear

     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 also

• dark elf & light elf
• fairy
• brownie
• dwarf
• hobbit

References

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

Anagrams

• EFL

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Afrikaans

Afrikaans cardinal numbers

<  10	11	12  >
Cardinal : elf     Ordinal : elfde

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛlf/

• Audio (AF)

  (file)

Numeral

elf

1. eleven

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Catalan

Noun

elf m (plural elfs)

1. elf

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Czech

Noun

elf m

1. elf

Declension

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

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl(ə)f/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: elf
• Rhymes: -ɛlf

Etymology 1

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.

Numeral

Dutch numbers ^(edit)

←  10	11	12  →
Cardinal: elf     Ordinal: elfde

elf

1. eleven

Noun

elf f (plural elven, diminutive elfje n)

1. The number eleven, or a representation thereof.

Descendants

• Afrikaans: elf

Etymology 2

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

Noun

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

1. elf (mythical creature)
2. brownie

Synonyms

• (mythical being): alf

Derived terms

• boself
• elfenbank
• elfin
• kerstelf
• woudelf

Anagrams

• fel
• lef

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Dutch Low Saxon

Etymology

Ultimately cognate to German elf.

Numeral

elf

1. eleven (11)

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German

German cardinal numbers

<  10	11	12  >
Cardinal : elf     Ordinal : elfte

Alternative forms

• eilf, eilff, eylff (dated/obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔɛlf/

• audio

  (file)

Numeral

elf

1. eleven

Coordinate terms

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

• 100: hundert, einhundert
• 10³: tausend, eintausend
• 10⁴: zehntausend (Myriade)
• 10⁶: Million (tausendmaltausend, tausendtausend)
• 10⁹: Milliarde
• 10¹²: Billion
• 10¹⁵: Billiarde
• 10¹⁸: Trillion
• 10²¹: Trilliarde
• 10²⁴: Quadrillion
• 10²⁷: Quadrilliarde
• 10³⁰: Quintillion
• 10³³: Quintilliarde
• 10³⁶: Sextillion
• 10³⁹: Sextilliarde
• 10⁴²: Septillion
• 10⁴⁵: Septilliarde
• 10⁴⁸: Oktillion
• 10⁵¹: Oktilliarde
• 10⁵⁴: Nonillion
• 10⁵⁷: Nonilliarde
• 10⁶⁰: Dezillion
• 10⁶³: Dezilliarde
• 10⁶⁶: Undezillion
• 10⁶⁹: Undezilliarde
• 10⁷²: Duodezillion
• 10⁷⁵: Duodezilliarde
• 10⁷⁸: Tredezillion
• 10⁸¹: Tredezilliarde
• 10⁸⁴: Quattuordezillion
• 10⁸⁷: Quattuordezilliarde

…

• 10¹⁰⁰: Googol

…

• 10¹²⁰: Vigintillion
• 10¹²³: Vigintilliarde

…

Derived terms

• Elf
• elffach
• Elfeck
• elfeckig
• elfstellig
• elfstündig

Further reading

• elf in Duden online

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German Low German

Alternative forms

• eleve, ölve, ölven

Etymology

From Middle Low German elvene, from Old Saxon ellevan.

Numeral

elf

1. eleven

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Maltese

Maltese numbers ^(edit)

	1,000
	100
Cardinal: elf

Etymology

From Arabic أَلْف‎ (ʾalf).

Numeral

elf m or f (dual elfejn, plural elef)

1. thousand

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• elfe, helfe

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛlf/

Noun

elf (plural elves)

1. elf, fairy
2. spirit, shade

Related terms

• elven
• elvyssh

Descendants

• English: elf
  • → Dutch: elf
  • → German: Elf, Elfe
  • → Japanese: エルフ
  • → Korean: 엘프 (elpeu)
• Scots: elf

References

• “elf (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-12.

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Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German elf, Dutch elf, English eleven.

Numeral

elf

1. eleven

---

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛlf/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

elf m anim

1. elf, mythical or fantasy creature

Declension

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 notes

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