elven

See also: Elven and eleven

English

WOTD – 2 September 2021

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɛlv(ə)n/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛlvən
• Hyphenation: elv‧en

Etymology 1

PIE word
*albʰós

Learned borrowing from Middle English elve, elven (“(also attributively) elf or fairy of either sex”) [and other forms], from Old English elfen, ælfen, ielfen (“female elf”), from elf, ælf, ielf (“elf”) (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *albiz (“elf, fairy”), from Proto-Indo-European *albʰós (“white”)) + -en (suffix forming feminine nouns). The English word is cognate with Middle High German elbinne (“fairy, nymph”).

Noun

elven (plural elvens)

1. Originally, a female elf, a fairy, a nymph; (by extension) any elf. [before 12th – 14th c.; revived 20th c.]
   • 1982, Terry Brooks, chapter 19, in The Elfstones of Shannara (A Del Rey Book), New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 162:

     When you told Amberle that we must come here tonight, she reminded you that you had informed the Elvens at the High Council that she would be given a day or two to rest. You answered her by saying that what you told them was a necessary deception. What did you mean by that?

   • 2007 April, Derric Euperio, “The Elven and the Troll”, in The Adventures of Ryushin: Two Hearts, Montgomery, Ala.: E-BookTime, →ISBN, page 122:

     "In order for the elvens to stay in hiding, they live under the great vines rather above them," Aida answered. […] An elven walked over to Rhyona and nodded to her, then entered the thick wood alone.

   • 2008, Elizabeth A. Whittingham, “Death and Immortality among Elves and Men”, in Donald E. Palumbo, C. W. Sullivan III, editors, The Evolution of Tolkien’s Mythology: A Study of The History of Middle-earth (Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy; 7), Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, →ISBN:

     The first reference to a choice being granted the Half-elvens is in the "Sketch," but it only applies to Elrond and is not exactly the same choice as in the Quenta Silmarillion, […]. The Quenta Silmarillion, however, formalizes this matter of the Half-elvens having to choose. The text describes a debate among the Valar in which Mandos asserts, "[Eärendel] shall surely die…" but since he is both Elf and Man, Ulmo asks, "which half shall die?"

   • 2010, Kathryne Kennedy, chapter 2, in The Fire Lord’s Lover, Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks Casablanca, →ISBN, page 30:

     Although Cass vaguely remembered her trials, she knew her father had been disappointed when she hadn’t possessed enough magic to be sent to the elvens’ home world, the fabled Elfhame.

Translations

any elf — see elf

Etymology 2

From the attributive use of Middle English elven (“elf or fairy of either sex”) (see etymology 1), like English elfin, reinterpreted as elf +‎ -en (suffix with the sense ‘pertaining to; having the qualities of; resembling’ forming adjectives). The word first appears in the English author and philologist J. R. R. Tolkien’s works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955): see the quotations.

Adjective

elven (comparative more elven, superlative most elven)

1. Belonging or relating to, or characteristic of, elves; elfin, elflike. [from mid 20th c.]

   Synonyms: elfish, elvish, elvan

   • 1937 September 21, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, “The Gathering of the Clouds”, in The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again, 3rd edition, London: Unwin Books, George Allen & Unwin, published 1966 (1970 printing), →ISBN, page 240:

     The rocks echoed then with voices and with song, as they had not done for many a day. There was the sound, too, of elven-harps and of sweet music; and as it echoed up towards them it seemed that the chill of the air was warmed, and they caught faintly the fragrance of woodland flowers blossoming in spring.

   • 1954 July 29, J[ohn] R[onald] R[euel] Tolkien, “The Shadow of the Past”, in The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published September 1973, →ISBN, page 81:

     Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, / Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, / Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, / One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne / In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. / One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, / One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, / In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

   • 1977 April, Terry Brooks, chapter I, in The Sword of Shannara (A Del Rey Book), New York, N.Y.: Ballantine Books, published May 1978, →ISBN, pages 16–17:

     He noted the telltale Elven features immediately—the hint of slightly pointed ears beneath the tousled blond hair, the pencil-like eyebrows that ran straight up at a sharp angle from the bridge of the nose rather than across the brow, and the slimness of the nose and jaw.

   • 1990 spring, Michael Rutherford, “Knight of Darkness, Knight of Light”, in John Betancourt, George H. Scithers, Darrell Schweitzer, editors, Weird Tales: The Unique Magazine, volume 51, number 3 (number 296 overall), Philadelphia, Pa.: Terminus Publishing Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 127, column 1:

     And now, this pitiless light, undiluted by elven love and judgment, burst through me like the arrows of the stars.

   • 1992, Raymond E[lias] Feist, “Apprentice”, in Magician (The Riftwar Saga; 1), revised edition, London: Voyager, HarperCollinsPublishers, published 1997, →ISBN, page 21:

     You know as a boy I was raised by the monks of Silban's Abbey, near the elven forest. I played with elven children, and before I came here, I hunted with Prince Calin and his cousin, Galain.

   • 1996, David Goddard, “The Devas”, in The Sacred Magic of the Angels, Boston, Mass., York Beach, Me.: Weiser Books, Red Wheel/Weiser, →ISBN, pages 107–108:

     Not all of the elven folk are benign. There are dark elves, too, who do not wish humans well.

   • 2012, Kathryne Kennedy, The Lord of Illusion, Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks Casablanca, →ISBN, page 375:

     The elven lords stood in a half circle, ominously still and silent. […] Despite their beautiful faces and perfect forms, she knew the elven were evil.

Derived terms

• half-elven

Translations

belonging or relating to, or characteristic of, elves — see also elfin,‎ elflike

• Arabic: آلْفِيّ (ʔālfiyy)
• Czech: elfí
• Esperanto: elfa
• French: elfique (fr)
• German: elbisch

  Middle High German: elbisch

• Norwegian: alvisk
• Old English: ielfisċ
• Polish: elfi (pl) m
• Portuguese: élfico (pt)
• Russian: эльфи́йский (ru) m (elʹfíjskij)
• Spanish: élfico (es)
• Swedish: alvisk

Etymology 3

Probably a variant of elmen (“of or pertaining to an elm tree; composed of elm trees; made of elm wood”).

Noun

elven (plural elvens)

1. (Kent, Sussex, Warwickshire, Worcestershire) An elm (a tree of the genus Ulmus, particularly the wych elm or Scots elm (Ulmus glabra))).

Alternative forms

• elvin (Kent)

Translations

elm — see elm

Further reading

• elf on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “elven, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• Leven, Nevel, leven

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛl.və(n)/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: el‧ven
• Rhymes: -ɛlvən

Noun

elven

1. plural of elf
2. (archaic) dative singular of elf

Hungarian

Etymology

elv +‎ -en

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛlvɛn]
• Hyphenation: el‧ven

Noun

elven

1. superessive singular of elv

Middle English

Alternative forms

• alven, alve, elfe

Etymology

From Old English elfen, ælfen (“nymph, spirit, fairy”), feminine of elf, ælf (“elf”); by surface analysis, elf +‎ en (feminine suffix). Compare Middle High German elbinne (“fairy, nymph”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛlvən/, /ˈalvən/

Noun

elven (plural elvene)

1. A (especially female) elf, a fairy, nymph
   • 1300, South English Legendary:

     Ofte in fourme of wommane In many derne weye grete compaygnie men i-seoth of heom boþe hoppie and pleiᵹe, þat Eluene beoth i-cleopede

     (Oft in the form of women, in very stealthy ways, great numbers of men see fallen angels both happy and playful, that Elvene are embraced,)

   • 1300, The Metrical Chronicle of Robert of Gloucester:

     & ofte in wimmen fourme hii comeþ to men al so, Þat men clupeþ eluene. —

     (& oft in women form come hither to men, so that men lay with the elvene.)

Descendants

• English: elven, elfe (obsolete)

References

• “elve(n, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-05.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• elva

Noun

elven m or f

1. definite masculine singular of elv

Etymology 2

Noun

elven m

1. definite singular of elv

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

elven m

1. definite singular of elv (Etymology 2)