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Ell

//ˈɛl// name, noun

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A town and commune in Redange canton, Luxembourg. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A village in Leudal municipality, Limburg province, Netherlands. countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    A measure of length. An English ell was 1¼ yards (45 inches or 114 cm), a Scottish ell was about 37 inches (94 cm), a Flemish ell was ¾ yard (27 inches or 69 cm), while certain European ells were less than 50 cm. historical

    "At certain times in the ice-mountains of Switzerland there happen cracks which have shewn the great thickness of the ice, as some of these cracks have measured three or four hundred ells deep."

  2. 2
    The name of the Latin script letter L/l. (more commonly el)

    "I have drunk en-ee-cee-tee-ay-ar from the ef-ell-oh-doubleyou-ee-ar-ess in his gee-ay-ar-dee-ee-en many a time."

  3. 3
    Abbreviation of RNA polymerase II elongation factor: an enzyme found in Cajal bodies. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    Alternative letter-case form of ell. alt-of
  5. 5
    an extension at the end and at right angles to the main building wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    An extension usually at right angles to one end of a building.

    "I could hear them snapping and tearing around, and then one managed to get on the roof by jumping from the low ell."

  2. 7
    Initialism of English-language learner. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
  3. 8
    Something that is L-shaped.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English elle, elne, from Old English eln (“the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger; a unit of measure”), from Proto-West Germanic *alinu, from Proto-Germanic *alinō, from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l-én-eh₂, from *Heh₃l- (“elbow, forearm”). Cognate with Dutch el (“ell”), German Low German Ell (“ell”), German Elle (“ell”), Swedish aln (“cubit; ell”), Icelandic alin (“cubit; ell”), Latin ulna (“forearm”).

Etymology 2

From the name of the letter L.

See also for "ell"

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