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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 of
æl-, 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.
Pronunciation
Prefix
æl-
- 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”)
- 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
Etymology 2
From Proto-Germanic *alja- ~ *ali-, combining form of *aljaz (“other”).
Pronunciation
Prefix
æl-
- Alternative form of el-