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Elf. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Elf, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Elf in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Elf you have here. The definition of the word
Elf will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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German
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From elf (“eleven”).
Noun
Elf f (genitive Elf, plural Elfen)
- (a group of) eleven
- football team, XI (so called because eleven is the number of players on such a team)
Declension
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Etymology 2
Borrowed from English elf in 18th century literature, from Old English ælf, from Proto-West Germanic *albi, from Proto-Germanic *albiz. Doublet of Alb.
Alternative forms
Noun
Elf m (mixed, genitive Elfen or Elfs, plural Elfen)
- elf
1762, Christoph Martin Wieland, transl., Ein St. Johannis Nachts-Traum, translation of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, act 2, scene 1:So heftig ist ihr Zwist, daß alle ihre Elfen / Vor Angst in Ahorn-Becher sich verkriechen.- But they do square, that all their Elues for feare / Creepe into Acorne cups and hide them there.
Declension
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Related terms
Terms derived from Elf or Elfe:
References
- Marshall Jones Company (1930). Mythology of All Races Series, Volume 2 Eddic, Great Britain: Marshall Jones Company, 1930, pp. 220.