el

See also: Appendix:Variations of "el"

Languages (56)

Translingual • English

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Aragonese • Aromanian • Asturian • Azerbaijani • Breton • Catalan • Cornish • Crimean Tatar • Czech • Dalmatian • Danish • Dutch • Emilian • Esperanto • Fala • Franco-Provençal • Galician • Guinea-Bissau Creole • Hungarian • Icelandic • Ido • Indonesian • Istriot • Italian • Kabuverdianu • Kabyle • Ladino • Latin • Latvian • Leonese • Lower Sorbian • Middle Dutch • Middle English • Middle Welsh • Mirandese • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Occitan • Old English • Old French • Old Galician-Portuguese • Old Norse • Portuguese • Romanian • Romansch • Salar • Spanish • Swedish • Tagalog • Ternate • Turkish • Venetan • Volapük • Welsh

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Page categories

Translingual

Symbol

el

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Greek.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛl/, [ɛɫ]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1

From Middle English, from Old English el, from Latin el (the name of the letter L).

Alternative forms

• L
• ell

Noun

el (plural els)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter L/l.
   • 1773 October, The Monthly Review Or Literary Journal Enlarged:

     The word length, which contains only four sounds l e ng th, is usually spell'd thus, el ee en gee tee aitch.

Derived terms

• elpee

Translations

name of the letter L, l

• Arabic: إِل m (ʔel)
• Bengali: এল (bn) (el)
• Catalan: ela (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (English letter names are called as in English, no other standard Mandarin name exists)

• Dutch: el (nl)
• Esperanto: lo (eo)
• Finnish: äl (fi), ällä (fi)
• French: elle (fr) m
• Galician: ele (gl) m
• Greek: ελ n (el)
• Hawaiian: lā
• Hindi: एल (hi) (el)
• Ido: le (io)
• Indonesian: el (id)
• Irish: eil, luis
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} elle (it) m or f
• Japanese: エル (ja) (eru)
• Korean: 엘 (el)
• Latin: el (la)
• Malay: el (ms)
• Marathi: एल (el)
• Occitan: èla f
• Persian: ال (fa) (el)
• Portuguese: ele (pt) m
• Russian: эл (ru) n (el), эль (ru) n (elʹ)
• Spanish: ele (es) f
• Tagalog: el (tl), la (tl) (Abakada), ele (tl) (Abecedario alphabet)
• Thai: แอล (th) (ɛɛl)
• Turkish: le (tr)
• Vietnamese: e-lờ (vi), lờ (vi)
• Welsh: el (cy) f

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) letter; a, bee, cee, dee, e, ef, gee, aitch, i, jay, kay, el, em, en, o, pee, cue, ar, ess, tee, u, vee, double-u, ex, wye, zee / zed

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• L

Noun

el (plural els)

1. (US) An elevated railway, especially for specific systems such as the metro in Chicago.
   • 2012, Roger P. Roess, Gene Sansone, The Wheels That Drove New York, page 294:

     The main section of the Sixth Avenue El from Morris Street to Ninth Avenue and 53rd Street shut down on December 4, 1938.

Translations

elevated railway

Etymology 3

Shortening of eleven.

Numeral

el

1. The cardinal number occurring after dek and before do in a duodecimal system. Written ↋, decimal value 11.

Etymology 4

From Spanish el.

Article

el

1. (informal, humorous, chiefly Internet slang) The (sometimes where "the" would not occur in normal English).
   • 2007, Richard Bachman, Blaze, page 125:

     " […] A sister of Joseph Gerard […] was found unconscious on the kitchen floor by the family cook early this morning. […] "
     […] What leads could they have, if the old lady was el zonko?

Etymology 5

Noun

el (plural els)

1. The name of the Unspecified script letter Л / л.

Anagrams

• -le, LE, Le, LαE, le

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin ille (“that one”).

Pronoun

el

1. him (direct object)

   Synonym: lo

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• elu

Etymology

From Latin ille, possibly through a Vulgar Latin *illus. Compare Romanian el, Megleno-Romanian iel.

Pronoun

el m (plural elj)

1. (third-person masculine singular pronoun, nominative form) he

   Synonym: nãs

Pronoun

el m

1. (long/stressed accusative form) him

Related terms

• ea/ia (feminine equivalent (third-person singular nominative))
• elj (masculine or mixed plural), eali (feminine plural)
• ãl/ul/lu (masculine singular accusative- short/unstressed form)
• (a) lui (masculine singular genitive and masculine singular dative- long/stressed form)
• ãlj/ilj/lji (masculine singular dative- short/unstressed form)

See also

• io/iou, mini (first-person singular)
• tu, tini (second-person singular)
• noi (first-person plural)
• voi (second-person plural)
• nãsh, elj (third-person (masculine or mixed) plural)

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin ille, illum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/, [el]

Article

el m sg (feminine la, neuter lo, masculine plural los, feminine plural les)

1. (definite) the

Usage notes

• The article el contracts to l’ before a word beginning with a vowel or h: l'asturianu (the Asturian), l'hermanu (the brother)
• The article el contracts to ’l after a word that ends in a vowel, if the following word begins with a consonant.

Derived terms

• al
• col
• del
• nel
• pal
• pel
• pol
• sol

 

Azerbaijani

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *ēl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

el (definite accusative eli, plural ellər)

1. (somewhat poetic) people
2. (somewhat poetic) country, land
3. (somewhat poetic) tract, region, district, province

Declension

Declension of el
	singular	plural
nominative	el	ellər
definite accusative	eli	elləri
dative	elə	ellərə
locative	eldə	ellərdə
ablative	eldən	ellərdən
definite genitive	elin	ellərin

Possessive forms of el
	nominative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	elim	ellərim
sənin (“your”)	elin	ellərin
onun (“his/her/its”)	eli	elləri
bizim (“our”)	elimiz	ellərimiz
sizin (“your”)	eliniz	elləriniz
onların (“their”)	eli or elləri	elləri
	accusative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	elimi	ellərimi
sənin (“your”)	elini	ellərini
onun (“his/her/its”)	elini	ellərini
bizim (“our”)	elimizi	ellərimizi
sizin (“your”)	elinizi	ellərinizi
onların (“their”)	elini or ellərini	ellərini
	dative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	elimə	ellərimə
sənin (“your”)	elinə	ellərinə
onun (“his/her/its”)	elinə	ellərinə
bizim (“our”)	elimizə	ellərimizə
sizin (“your”)	elinizə	ellərinizə
onların (“their”)	elinə or ellərinə	ellərinə
	locative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	elimdə	ellərimdə
sənin (“your”)	elində	ellərində
onun (“his/her/its”)	elində	ellərində
bizim (“our”)	elimizdə	ellərimizdə
sizin (“your”)	elinizdə	ellərinizdə
onların (“their”)	elində or ellərində	ellərində
	ablative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	elimdən	ellərimdən
sənin (“your”)	elindən	ellərindən
onun (“his/her/its”)	elindən	ellərindən
bizim (“our”)	elimizdən	ellərimizdən
sizin (“your”)	elinizdən	ellərinizdən
onların (“their”)	elindən or ellərindən	ellərindən
	genitive
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	elimin	ellərimin
sənin (“your”)	elinin	ellərinin
onun (“his/her/its”)	elinin	ellərinin
bizim (“our”)	elimizin	ellərimizin
sizin (“your”)	elinizin	ellərinizin
onların (“their”)	elinin or ellərinin	ellərinin

Derived terms

• el-oba

Breton

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/

Contraction

el

1. e (preposition “in”) + ul (indefinite article “a(n)”)
2. e (preposition “in”) + al (definite article “the”)

Catalan

Alternative forms

• es (salat) in Balearic dialects.
• lo (colloquial) in North occidental dialects.

Etymology

From earlier lo, from Latin illum, from Latin ille. The initial e- was inserted as an epenthetic vowel after the unstressed -o had begun to be dropped.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /əl/
• (Valencia) IPA^(key): /el/

• Audio:

  (file)

Article

el m (feminine la, masculine plural els, feminine plural les)

1. the; definite article
2. neuter definite article used to make abstract nouns from adjectives; the; what, that which

   el bo i el dolent ― the good and the bad

   el que hem de fer ― what we have to do

Usage notes

• Before a word that begins with a vowel or silent h- followed by a vowel, the form l' is used.

See also

• en, masculine singular definite article for given names.

Pronoun

el (proclitic, contracted l', enclitic lo, contracted enclitic 'l)

1. him (direct object)

Usage notes

• el is the reinforced (reforçada) form of the pronoun. It is used before verbs beginning with a consonant.

  Ella el considerava estúpid. ― She regarded him as stupid.

Declension

Catalan personal pronouns and clitics

	strong/subject	weak (direct object)		weak (indirect object)		possessive
singular		proclitic	enclitic	proclitic	enclitic
1st person	jo, mi3	em, m’	-me, ’m	em, m’	-me, ’m	meu
1st person majestic1	nós	ens	-nos, ’ns	ens	-nos, ’ns	nostre
2nd person	tu	et, t’	-te, ’t	et, t’	-te, ’t	teu
2nd person formal1	vós	us	-vos, -us	us	-vos, -us	vostre
2nd person very formal2	vostè	el, l’	-lo, ’l	li	-li	seu
3rd person masculine	ell	el, l’	-lo, ’l	li	-li	seu
3rd person feminine	ella	la, l’4	-la	li	-li	seu
3rd person neuter		ho	-ho	li	-li	seu
3rd person reflexive	si	es, s’	-se, ’s	es, s’	-se, ’s	seu
plural
1st person	nosaltres	ens	-nos, ’ns	ens	-nos, ’ns	nostre
2nd person	vosaltres	us	-vos, -us	us	-vos, -us	vostre
2nd person formal2	vostès	els	-los, ’ls	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person masculine	ells	els	-los, ’ls	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person feminine	elles	les	-les	els	-los, ’ls	seu
3rd person reflexive	si	es, s’	-se, ’s	es, s’	-se, ’s	seu
adverbial
ablative/genitive		en, n’	-ne, ’n
locative		hi	-hi
1) Behaves grammatically as plural. 2) Behaves grammatically as third person.			3) Only as object of a preposition. 4) Not before unstressed (h)i-, (h)u-.

Further reading

• “el” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “el”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “el” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “el” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Cornish

Etymology

From Middle Cornish êl, eyl, eal, from Old Cornish ail, a borrowing from Proto-Brythonic *angel, from Latin angelus, from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos). Cognate with Breton ael, Welsh angel.

Noun

el m (plural eledh)

1. (religion) angel

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

el

1. hand, forearm
2. ell

Declension

Declension of el

nominative	el
genitive	elniñ
dative	elge
accusative	elni
locative	elde
ablative	elden

References

• Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk‎^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛl]

Noun

el n (indeclinable)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter L/l.

Further reading

• “el”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “el”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dalmatian

Alternative forms

• lo

Etymology

From Latin ille, illud.

Article

el

1. the; masculine singular definite article

Related terms

• i
• la

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse elri (“alder”), cf. ǫlr (compare Icelandic elri, Swedish al, Norwegian Bokmål older), from Proto-Germanic *aluz, *alusō (compare English alder), variant of *alizō, *alisō (compare Dutch els, German Erle), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/, [ɛlˀ]

Noun

el c (singular definite ellen, plural indefinite elle)

1. alder

Inflection

Declension of el

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	el	ellen	elle	ellene
genitive	els	ellens	elles	ellenes

Etymology 2

Introduced in the 1940’s after Swedish el, abbreviation of elektricitet (“electricity”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/, [ɛl]

Noun

el c (singular definite ellen, not used in plural form)

1. electricity

   Synonym: strøm

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch elne, elle, from Old Dutch *elina, from Proto-West Germanic *alinu. Cognate with English ell, German Low German Ell, German Elle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: el
• Rhymes: -ɛl
• Homophone: Ell

Noun

el f or m (plural ellen, diminutive elletje n)

1. (archaic) a unit of length corresponding to about 69 cm: ell, cubit

Derived terms

• elleboog
• ellepijp
• ellenlang

Descendants

• Negerhollands: el
• → Caribbean Javanese: élo
• → Sundanese: élo

Emilian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/
• Hyphenation: el

Pronoun

el (personal)

1. (nominative case, feminine) they
2. (accusative case, feminine) them

Alternative forms

• Becomes elj- before a vowel.
• Becomes -li when acting as an enclitic.

Related terms

Emilian personal pronouns (strong forms)

Number	Person	Gender	Disjunctive (tonic)	Nominative (subject)	Accusative (direct complement)	Dative (indirect complement)	Reflexive (-self)	Comitative (with)
Singular	First	—	mè	a	me			mêg
	Second	—	tè	et	te			têg
	Third	Masculine	ló	al		ge	se	sêg
		Feminine	lê	la
Plural	First	Masculine	nuēter	a	se			nōsk
		Feminine	nuētri
	Second	Masculine	vuēter	a	ve			vōsk
		Feminine	vuētri
	Third	Masculine	lôr	i		ge	se	sêg
		Feminine		el	li

Esperanto

Etymology

Obscure; may be derived from Latin ex (“out of”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [el]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: el

Preposition

el

1. made of

   Tio estas ĉemizo el silko ― This is a shirt made of silk.

2. from (of)

   Antonym: al

   El kie vi venis?
   Mi venis el Nov-Jorko.

   Where did you come from?
   I came from New York.

   • 1906, Louis de Beaufront, Grammaire et exercices de la langue internationale espéranto:

     Li estas la plej riĉa homo el la mondo.

     He is the richest man in the world.

   • 1906, Louis de Beaufront, Grammaire et exercices de la langue internationale espéranto:

     Li estas la malplej riĉa el ni.

     He is the least rich of us.

Derived terms

• eldoni
• eliri
• elkreski
• elpensi
• elŝuti
• eltrovi
• elvoki

 

Fala

Etymology

From Latin ille (“that”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈel/
• Rhymes: -el
• Syllabification: el

Pronoun

el m sg (plural elis, feminine ela, feminine plural elas)

1. Third person singular masculine nominative pronoun; he

See also

Fala personal pronouns

			nominative	dative	accusative	disjunctive
first person	singular		ei	me, -mi		mi
	plural	common	nos	musL nusLV nos, -nusM		nos
		masculine	noshotrusM			noshotrusM
		feminine	noshotrasM			noshotrasM
second person	singular		tú	te, -ti		ti
	plural	common	vos	vusLV vos, -vusM		vos
		masculine	voshotrusM			voshotrusM
		feminine	voshotrasM			voshotrasM
third person	singular	masculine	el	le, -li	uLV, oM	el
		feminine	ela		a	ela
	plural	masculine	elis		usLV, osM	elis
		feminine	elas		as	elas
	reflexive		—	se, -si		sí

References

• Valeš, Miroslav (2021) Diccionariu de A Fala: lagarteiru, mañegu, valverdeñu (web)‎^[2], 2nd edition, Minde, Portugal: CIDLeS, published 2022, →ISBN

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

Inherited from Latin illa.

Pronoun

el f (postpositive -el) (ORB, broad)

1. she, it (third-person singular feminine nominative)

See also

Franco-Provençal personal pronouns

singular	nominative	accusative	dative	tonic1	possessive2
1st person	jo	mè			min
2nd person	te	tè			tin
3rd person masculine	il	lo / le	lui		sin
3rd person feminine	el	la	lyé
3rd person neuter	o		y	—
3rd person reflexive	—	sè
plural	nominative	accusative	dative	tonic1	possessive2
1st person	nos				noutro
2nd person	vos				voutro
3rd person masculine	ils	los / les	lor		lor
3rd person feminine	els	les	lor / lyés
3rd person reflexive	—	sè
1 Disjunctive or object of a preposition.		2 Generally preceded by a definite article.

References

• elle [1] in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
• el in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

Galician

Alternative forms

• ile, il
• ele (reintegrationist)

Etymology

From Latin ille (“that”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈel/

Pronoun

el m (accusative o, dative lle)

1. he
2. it (impersonal pronoun, optative subject of impersonal verbs)

   El chove ― It rains

3. it (optatively, can introduce a question)

   Que cousa preciosa! El será pecado? ― What a precious thing! Could it be a sin?

Usage notes

The accusative form o has variant forms lo and no. These alternative forms appear depending on the ending of the preceding word. The form lo is used when the preceding word ends in -r or -s. The no form is used when the preceding word ends in -u or a diphthong. These alternative forms are then suffixed to the preceding word.

The accusative also forms contractions when it immediately follows an indirect object pronoun. For example, dou che o contracts to doucho (“I gave it to you”).

Related terms

• ela
• elas
• eles

 

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “el”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “el”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “el”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “el”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

From Portuguese ele. Cognate with Kabuverdianu el.

Pronoun

el

1. he, she (third person singular)

Hungarian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛl]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛl

Adverb

el

1. off

   El a kezekkel! ― Hands off!

2. away

Usage notes

This term may also be part of the split form of a verb prefixed with el-, occurring when the main verb does not follow the prefix directly. It can be interpreted only with the related verb form, irrespective of its position in the sentence, e.g. meg tudták volna nézni (“they could have seen it”, from megnéz). For verbs with this prefix, see el-; for an overview, Appendix:Hungarian verbal prefixes.

• Anna elment? Nem ment el. ― Has Anna left [gone away]? No, she has not.

Derived terms

Compound words

• elvégre

 

Interjection

el

1. (intransitive, drama) exit, exeunt; he/she leaves or they leave the scene or stage (stage direction for an actor or multiple actors)

   Antonym: jön (“s/he comes”)

See also

• ell

 

Further reading

• el in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• el in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Anagrams

• le

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛːl/
• Rhymes: -ɛːl

Verb

el

1. first-person singular present indicative of ala

Ido

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/, /ɛl/

Pronoun

el (plural eli, possessive elua, possessive plural elui)

1. Apocopic form of elu; she, her

See also

    Personal pronouns in Ido

		Singular			Plural
		Nominative	Possessive		Nominative	Possessive
			Singular	Plural		Singular	Plural
First person		me	mea	mei	ni	nia	nii
Second person	Formal	vu	vua	vui	vi	via	vii
	Familiar	tu	tua	tui
Third person	Masculine	ilu, il	ilua	ilui	ili	ilia	ilii
	Feminine	elu, el	elua	elui	eli	elia	elii
	Neuter	olu, ol	olua	olui	oli	olia	olii
	Common	lu	lua	lui	li	lia	lii
	Reflexive	su	sua	sui	su	sua	sui
Indefinite		onu, on	onua	onui	onu, on	onua	onui
Notes
The possessive plurals are seldom used.
The shortened forms are preferred.
The pangendered forms are preferred to the gendered or neuter forms in most scenarios.

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch el.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/, [ɛl]

Noun

èl

1. The name of the Latin-script letter L/l.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) huruf; a, be, ce, de, e, ef, ge, ha, i, je, ka, el, em, en, o, pe, ki, er, es, te, u, ve, we, eks, ye, zet

Further reading

• “el” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Istriot

Etymology 1

From Latin illum < ille.

Pronoun

el

1. he third-person singular masculine personal pronoun
   • 1877, Antonio Ive, Canti popolari istriani: raccolti a Rovigno, volume 5, Ermanno Loescher, page 128:

     Ch’in tu’l su’ fassulito el me metasse.

     That into his handkerchief he would put me.

Related terms

• gila

Etymology 2

From Latin ille.

Article

el m sg (feminine la)

1. the

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈel/
• Rhymes: -el
• Hyphenation: él
• (stressed, determiner) IPA^(key): /ˈel/
  • Hyphenation: él
• (unstressed, article and contraction) IPA^(key): /el/

Article

el m sg

1. Archaic and regional form of il

Pronoun

el m

1. (rare, literary) Apocopic form of ello

Contraction

el

1. (obsolete) Contraction of e il: and the

Alternative forms

• e'l

Anagrams

• -le, LE, Le, le

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese ele.

Pronoun

el

1. he, she (third person singular)

Kabyle

Verb

el (verbal noun ayla)

1. (obsolete) to have, own, possess

   Synonyms: sɛu, ɣur

2. (obsolete) to belong to

Usage notes

This verb's conjugation has fallen into general disuse by the 19th century, with only its past participle ilan surviving in various expressions. Its verbal noun, ayla (“possession”), remains in vigorous use.

Ladino

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/

Article

el (Hebrew spelling איל, plural los, feminine la)

1. the (masculine singular)

Pronoun

el (Latin spelling, Hebrew spelling איל)

1. he, it

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /el/, [ɛɫ̪]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /el/, [ɛl]

Noun

el f (indeclinable)

1. The name of the letter L.

Usage notes

• Multiple Latin names for the letter L, l have been suggested. The most common is el or a syllabic l, although there is some evidence which also supports, as names for the letter, lē, ll, əl, lə, and even (in the fourth- or fifth-century first Antinoë papyrus(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?), which gives Greek transliterations of the Latin names of the Roman alphabet’s letters) ιλλε (ille).

Coordinate terms

• (Latin-script letter names) littera; ā, bē, cē, dē, ē, ef, gē, hā / *acca, ī, kā, el, em, en, ō, pē, kū, er, es, tē, ū, ix / īx / ex, ȳ / ī graeca / ȳpsīlon, zēta

References

• el in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Arthur E. Gordon, The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet (University of California Press, 1973; volume 9 of University of California Publications: Classical Studies), especially pages 30–31, 42–44, and 63

Latvian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɛl]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

el m (invariable)

1. The Latvian name of the Latin script letter L/l.

See also

• Latvian letter names:

  a (A), garais ā (Ā), bē (B), cē (C), čē (Č), dē (D), e (E), garais ē (Ē), ef (F), gā (G), ģē (Ģ), hā (H), i (I), garais ī (Ī), jē (J), kā (K), ķē (Ķ), el (L), eļ (Ļ), em (M), en (N), eņ (Ņ), o (O), pē (P), er (R), es (S), eš (Š), tē (T), u (U), garais ū (Ū), vē (V), zē (Z), žē (Ž)

Leonese

Etymology

From Latin ille.

Article

el m sg (feminine la, neuter lu, masculine plural los, feminine plural les)

1. the (definite article)

Usage notes

• The prepositions a, de, pa, cun, en and pur contract with el, unless el is part of a proper noun.

  ‎a + ‎el → ‎al

  ‎de + ‎el → ‎del

  ‎pa + ‎el → ‎pal

  ‎cun + ‎el → ‎cul

  ‎en + ‎el → ‎nel

  ‎pur + ‎el → ‎pul

• The article el contracts to l' before a word beginning with a vowel or h:

  l'home ― the man

  fala l'home ― the man is speaking

• The article 'el contracts to 'l after a word that ends in a vowel, if the following word begins with a consonant.

  fala'l neñu ― the child is speaking

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/

Noun

el m inan

1. The name of the Latin-script letter l/L.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) a, bej, cej, čet, ćej, dej, ej, ět, ef, gej, ha, cha, i, jot, ka, eł, el, em, en, ejn, o, pej, er, ejŕ, es, eš, śej, tej, u, wej, y, zet, žet, źej

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *elli, from Proto-West Germanic *alljas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/

Determiner

el

1. other, another

Adverb

el

1. else, otherwise
2. elsewhere

Further reading

• “el (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “el, els”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “el (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “el (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II

Middle English

Alternative forms

• eel, ele, hele, iel, yele

Etymology

From Old English ǣl, from Proto-West Germanic *āl, from Proto-Germanic *ēlaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛːl/, /eːl/

Noun

el (plural eles)

1. eel

Descendants

• English: eel
• Scots: eel
• Yola: eale

References

• “ēl(e, n.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-03-03.

Middle Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eːl/

Verb

el

1. third-person singular present subjunctive of mynet

Mirandese

Pronoun

el

1. he

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from Swedish el.

Noun

el

1. short form of elektrisitet, elektrisk, elektro-, used mainly in compound words. It is treated as a noun rather than a prefix, in the same manner as Swedish.

Derived terms

• elbil
• elmotor

References

• “el” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Swedish el.

Noun

el n

1. short form of elektrisitet, elektrisk, elektro-, used mainly in compound words. It is treated as a noun rather than a prefix, in the same manner as Swedish.

Derived terms

• elbil
• elmotor

Etymology 2

From Old Norse él.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eːl/

Noun

el n (definite singular elet, indefinite plural el, definite plural ela)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

el

1. present tense of ala

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

el

1. present tense of elja

References

• “el” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Etymology

From Old Occitan [Term?], from Latin ille.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Languedoc):

  (file)

Pronoun

el

1. he (third-person singular subject pronoun)
2. it (third-person singular subject pronoun)

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/

Noun

el m

1. el, the letter L

Old French

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• enl (very rare)

Contraction

el

1. Contraction of en le (“in the”).
   • c. 1250, Marie de France, Equitan:

     m'est une anguisse el quer ferue, ki tut le cors me fet trembler

     Such a pain has pierced my heart, that it makes my whole body quiver

Etymology 2

From Latin alius.

Pronoun

el

1. something else
   • c. 1150, Thomas d'Angleterre, Le Roman de Tristan, Champion Classiques edition, →ISBN, page 94, lines 857–8:

     ne puet en sun cuer el penser
     fors ço sul: Tristran amer.

     she cannot in her heart think of anything else
     apart from one thing: to love Tristan.

Old Galician-Portuguese

Pronoun

el

1. Apocopic form of ele
   • 13th century CE, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 14 (facsimile):

     fugiu con el a Egipto. terra de Reẏ Faraon.

     ran away with him to Egypt, land of the Pharaoh king.

Old Norse

Verb

el

1. first-person singular active present indicative of ala

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin ille. Akin to Catalan el and Spanish el.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈɛw/ [ˈɛʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɛl/ [ˈɛɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɛl/ [ˈɛɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.li/

• Hyphenation: el

Article

el m sg

1. Only used in el-rei: the

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *illus, from Latin ille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jel/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

el m (third-person singular, plural ei, feminine equivalent ea)

1. (nominative form) he

   Synonym: (polite form) dumnealui

Declension

Nominative
el
Accusative
stressed		unstressed
el		îl
Genitive
lui
Singular		Plural
m & n	f	m	f & n
său	sa	săi	sale
Dative
stressed		unstressed
lui		îi
Reflexive
Accusative		Dative
stressed	unstressed	stressed	unstressed
sine	se	sie or sieși	își

Pronoun

el m (stressed accusative form of el)

1. (direct object, preceded by preposition, such as "pe", "cu", "la", or "pentru") him

Related terms

• ea (third-person feminine singular)
• ei (third-person masculine plural)
• ele (third-person feminine plural)

See also

Romanian personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		eu	noi
2nd person	plain	tu	voi
	semi-polite	dumneata	dumneavoastră
	polite	dumneavoastră
3rd person familiar	m	el	ei
	f	ea	ele
3rd person polite	m	dumnealui	dumnealor
	f	dumneaei

Romansch

Etymology

From Latin ille.

Pronoun

el

1. he

Salar

Etymology

Cognate with Turkmen, Turkish el (“hand”), Azerbaijani əl, Chuvash алӑ (ală), etc.

Pronunciation

• (Xunhua, Hualong, Qinghai, Ili, Xinjiang) IPA^(key): /el/
• (Mengda, Xunhua, Qinghai) IPA^(key): /en/

Noun

el (3rd person possessive ili, plural eller)

1. (anatomy) hand

   Synonym: uc

References

• Potanin, G.N. (1893) “эль”, in Тангутско-Тибетская окраина Китая и Центральная Монголия (in Russian), page 428
• Yanchuk, Mikola Andriyovich (1893) “эль”, in Этнографическое ОбозрѢніе: Императорскаго Общества Любителей Естествознанія, Антропологіи и Этнографіи‎^[3] (in Russian), Moscow: Publication of the Ethnographic Department, page 33
• Rockhill, William Woodville (1894) “ell”, in Diary of a journey through Mongolia and Tibet in 1891 and 1892, Washington: Smithsonian Institution, page 374
• Poppe, Nicholas (1953). Remarks on The Salar Language. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 16(3/4), 438–477. [4]
• Kakuk, S. (1962). “Un Vocabulaire Salar.” Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 14, no. 2: 173–96. [5]
• Tenishev, Edhem (1976) “el”, in Stroj salárskovo jazyká, Moscow, pages 323-324
• 林莲云 (1985) “el”, in 撒拉语简志‎^[6], Beijing: 民族出版社: 琴書店, →OCLC, page 19
• Yakup, Abdurishid (2002) “el”, in An Ili Salar Vocabulary: Introduction and a Provisional Salar-English Lexicon‎^[7], Tokyo: University of Tokyo, →ISBN, page 88
• Dwyer, Arienne M. (2007) “el”, in Salar: A Study in Inner Asian Language Contact Processes: Part I: Phonology‎^[8], 1st edition, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, pages 43, 87
• 张, 进锋 (Ayso Cañ Cinfen) (2008) 乌璐别格 (Ulubeğ), 鄭初陽 (Çuyañ Yebey oğlı Ceñ), editors, Salar İbret Sözler 撒拉尔谚语‎^[9], China Salar Youth League, page 12

• Ma, Chengjun, Han, Lianye, Ma, Weisheng (December 2010) “el”, in 米娜瓦尔 艾比布拉 (Minavar Abibra), editor, 撒维汉词典 (Sāwéihàncídiǎn) (in Chinese), 1st edition, Beijing, →ISBN, page 99
• “el” in Ölmez, Mehmet (2012 December) “Oğuzların En Doğudaki Kolu: Salırlar ve Dilleri”, in Türk Dili (in Turkish), volume CII, number 732, pages 38-43

• 马伟, 朝克 (2014) “el”, in 撒拉语366条会话读本‎^[10], 1^st edition, 社会科学文献出版社, →ISBN, page 108
• 马伟 (Ma Wei), 朝克 (Chao Ke) (2016) “el”, in 濒危语言——撒拉语研究, 青海 (Qinghai): 国家社会科学基金项目 (National Social Science Foundation Project), page 107

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/ [el]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -el
• Syllabification: el

Etymology 1

From Latin ille.

Article

el (plural los, feminine la, feminine plural las, neuter lo)

1. masculine singular definite article; the

Usage notes

• The prepositions de and a contract with el, unless el is part of a proper noun.

  El libro del niño me enseñó sobre la oscilación de El Niño.

  The boy's book taught me about the oscillation of El Niño.

  Fuimos a El Salvador y le rezamos al Salvador.

  We went to El Salvador and prayed to the Savior.

• Spanish definite articles are used in some contexts where English uses possessive pronouns.

  Tengo las manos sucias.

  My hands are dirty.

  Me duele la pierna.

  My leg hurts.

• Spanish definite articles are used when talking about a whole group in general or abstract notions, unlike English ones.

  Los guepardos son el animal terreste más veloz.

  Cheetahs are the fastest land animal.

  El amor es siempre paciente y amable.

  Love is always patient and kind.

Derived terms

• el que
• el que sea

 

Related terms

• él
• le
• lo

 

Etymology 2

From Old Spanish ela, from Latin illa.

Article

el (feminine plural las)

1. feminine singular definite article used before nouns which start with a stressed /a/:

   el alma, las almas ― the soul, the souls

   el hacha, las hachas ― the axe, the axes

Further reading

• “el”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28

Anagrams

• le

Swedish

Etymology

A contraction of elektricitet or elektrisk, that must have taken place between 1920 and 1975. SAOB (letter E edited in 1921) does not mention this, but does mention the prefix elektro-. Lilla Focus (1961) mentions el- as a prefix, but not as a word of its own.

The use of el as a stand-alone word (not just a prefix) was discussed in Teknisk Tidskrift, 15 December 1934, referring to a proposal from "Fera", Föreningen för elektricitetens rationella användning, an association of electric power grid operators.

Man framhåller nämligen med bestämdhet, att "el" ej får betraktas som förkortning utan som en beteckning för allt som har med elektricitet att göra, avsedd att brukas enbart eller i sammansättningar som prefix eller suffix och aldrig tillsammans med punkt och bindestreck. Språkligt sett, kan väl ordet närmast betraktas som en ellips
Teknisk Tidskrift, 15 December 1934
Translation:
Indeed, it is firmly emphasized that "el" must not be regarded as an abbreviation but as a designation for everything related to electricity, intended for use solely or in combinations as a prefix or suffix, and never together with a period and hyphen. Linguistically, the word can be considered akin to an ellipsis.
Teknisk Tidskrift, 15 December 1934

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eːl/
• Rhymes: -eːl

Noun

el c

1. electricity, electric current or power; Contraction of elektricitet. or elektrisk
   • 1957, used as a prefix, §14, Lag (1957:262) om allmän energiskatt

     elektrisk kraft som förbrukas för el-, gas-, värme- eller vattenförsörjning i andra kommuner

     electric power which is used for the supply of electricity, gas, heating or water in other municipalities

   • 1975, Håkan Winberg (m), speaking in the Riksdag on May 27 (protocol, page 264)

     Vidare är den del av marknaden som har den högsta betalningsförmågan, dvs. hushållen, inriktad på användning av el.

     Also the part of the market which has the highest purchasing power, i.e. the households, is set for the use of electricity.

   • 1980, Rune Torwald (c), speaking in the Riksdag on January 11 (protocol, page 46)

     När man använder så stor andel av elen till att värma upp bostäder som ju bara utnyttjas vintertid och inte på sommaren, så får man stora säsongvariationer.

     When using so large a portion of the electricity to heat homes, something which is only used in the winter and not in the summer, one will get large seasonal variations.

2. (school slang) Short for el- och energiprogrammet.

   Jag går el.

   I study at the electrical engineering programme

   (literally, “I go electrical.”)

Declension

Declension of el

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	el	els
	definite	elen	elens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Related terms

• elanvändning
• elavbrott
• elkabel
• elkraft
• elmätare
• elnät
• elström
• elstängsel
• elsäkerhet
• elverk
• elöverföring
• elöverkänslig

 

References

• el in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• el in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

Anagrams

• le

Tagalog

Etymology

From English el, the English name of the letter L/l.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔel/ [ʔɛl]
• Rhymes: -el
• Syllabification: el

Noun

el (Baybayin spelling ᜁᜎ᜔)

1. the name of the Latin-script letter L/l, in the Filipino alphabet

   Synonyms: (in the Abakada alphabet) la, (in the Abecedario) ele

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) titik; ey, bi, si, di, i, ef, dyi, eyts, ay, dyey, key, el, em, en, enye, en dyi, o, pi, kyu, ar, es, ti, yu, vi, dobolyu, eks, way, zi

Further reading

• “el”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Ternate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [(ʔ)el]

Verb

el

1. Alternative form of eli (“to remember”)

Conjugation

Conjugation of el
	Singular	Plural
	Inclusive	Exclusive
1st	toel	foel	miel
2nd	noel	niel
3rd	Masculine	oel	iel, yoel†
Feminine	moel
Neuter	iel
† - archaic

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Turkish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /el/

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Ottoman Turkish ال (el), from Proto-Turkic *elig (“hand”), may be related to Proto-Turkic *ạl- (“to take”). Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰠𐰏 (elig), Uzbek ilik, Turkmen el, Gagauz el, Salar el, Southern Altai элӱ (elü, “wide finger”), Chuvash алӑ (ală), etc.

Noun

el (definite accusative eli, plural eller)

1. hand
2. round (stage of a sports competition)

   Her el sona kalan adam sensin.

   In every round you're the last man standing.

3. round (individual ammunition shell)

   İki el sıktı, ikisini de ıskaladı, sonra da bıçaklamaya çalıştı.

   He fired two rounds, whiffed both, and then he tried to knife him.

Derived terms

• el arabası
• ele geçirmek

Etymology 2

From Ottoman Turkish ایل (el), from Common Turkic *ēl (“people”).

Noun

el (definite accusative eli, plural eller)

1. a foreign person

Derived terms

• el gün

Etymology 3

From Ottoman Turkish ایل (el), from Proto-Turkic *ēl (“realm”). Doublet of il. Cognate with Old Turkic [script needed] (él), Kazakh ел (el), Azerbaijani el, etc.

Noun

el (definite accusative eli, plural eller)

1. country, homeland, province

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	el
Definite accusative	eli
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	el	eller
Definite accusative	eli	elleri
Dative	ele	ellere
Locative	elde	ellerde
Ablative	elden	ellerden
Genitive	elin	ellerin
Possessive forms Nominative Singular Plural 1st singular elim ellerim 2nd singular elin ellerin 3rd singular eli elleri 1st plural elimiz ellerimiz 2nd plural eliniz elleriniz 3rd plural elleri elleri Definite accusative Singular Plural 1st singular elimi ellerimi 2nd singular elini ellerini 3rd singular elini ellerini 1st plural elimizi ellerimizi 2nd plural elinizi ellerinizi 3rd plural ellerini ellerini Dative Singular Plural 1st singular elime ellerime 2nd singular eline ellerine 3rd singular eline ellerine 1st plural elimize ellerimize 2nd plural elinize ellerinize 3rd plural ellerine ellerine Locative Singular Plural 1st singular elimde ellerimde 2nd singular elinde ellerinde 3rd singular elinde ellerinde 1st plural elimizde ellerimizde 2nd plural elinizde ellerinizde 3rd plural ellerinde ellerinde Ablative Singular Plural 1st singular elimden ellerimden 2nd singular elinden ellerinden 3rd singular elinden ellerinden 1st plural elimizden ellerimizden 2nd plural elinizden ellerinizden 3rd plural ellerinden ellerinden Genitive Singular Plural 1st singular elimin ellerimin 2nd singular elinin ellerinin 3rd singular elinin ellerinin 1st plural elimizin ellerimizin 2nd plural elinizin ellerinizin 3rd plural ellerinin ellerinin
Predicative forms Singular Plural 1st singular elim ellerim 2nd singular elsin ellersin 3rd singular el eldir eller ellerdir 1st plural eliz elleriz 2nd plural elsiniz ellersiniz 3rd plural eller ellerdir

Derived terms

• elçi

Venetan

Alternative forms

• al — Belluno

Etymology

From Latin illum < ille.

Article

el m sg (plural i)

1. the

Related terms

• ła

Pronoun

el

1. he, she, it (used as an obligatory clitic pronoun following a verb)

   El can el magna i òsi. ― The dog (it) eats the bones.

Volapük

Article

el

1. the (used for all proper nouns and also foreign loanwords not yet assimilated into Volapük)

   El Karl binom ziom ela Katlin. ― Karl is Katlin's uncle.

Usage notes

• The article el is used to modify any kind of noun (proper or foreign) which is itself indeclinable in Volapük. Then, whenever that noun needs to be declined, the article el which modifies it is declined in its stead.

Declension

    declension of el

	singular	plural
nominative	el	els
genitive	ela	elas
dative	ele	eles
accusative	eli	elis

Derived terms

• hiel
• jiel

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/

Noun

el f (plural eliau)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter L/l.

Mutation

Mutated forms of el

radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
el	unchanged	unchanged	hel

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) llythyren; a, bi, ec, èch, di, èdd, e, èf, èff, èg, eng, aetsh, i / i dot, je, ce, el, èll, em, en, o, pi, ffi, ciw, er, rhi, ès, ti, èth, u / u bedol / u gwpan, fi, w, ecs, y, sèd