æl-

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word æl-. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word æl-, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say æl- in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word æl- you have here. The definition of the word æl- will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofæl-, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *ala-, from Proto-Germanic *ala- (all, whole), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (other, beyond), related to Proto-Germanic *allaz (all), which comes from *h₂elnós.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Prefix

æl-

  1. all; complete, completely
    æl- + ‎gylden (golden) → ‎ælgylden (made of pure gold)
    æl- + ‎miht (power) → ‎ælmiht (omnipotence)
    æl- + ‎mihtiġ (powerful) → ‎ælmihtiġ (all-powerful)
    æl- + ‎nīewe (new) → ‎ælnīewe (brand new)
    æl- + ‎mierca (dark) → ‎ælmierca (black person)
  2. quite, very
    æl- + ‎fela (many) → ‎ælfela (very many)
Usage notes
  • Do not confuse this or the term below with the noun ǣl, which means "eel." Ǣlnett means "eel net," not "all-net," while ælmiht means omnipotence, not eel power.
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Middle English: all-, al-

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *alja- ~ *ali-, combining form of *aljaz (other).

Pronunciation

Prefix

æl-

  1. Alternative form of el-