Etymologically
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eleven

Etymology and origin of the English word eleven

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
before 900
Inherited from
Old English endleofan
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*ainlif)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪˈlɛv.ən/ (UK); /əˈlɛv.ən/, /i-/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English elleovene, enleven, inherited from Old English endleofan, literally one left over ten,[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *ainlif-, a compound of *ainaz, one, and *lif-, from the root of leave,[2][3][4] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *leikw- (“to leave”).[3][4] It is cognate with Old Saxon elleban, Old Frisian andlova, Dutch and German elf, Old Norse ellifu and Gothic ainlif.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The number: before 900, in Alfred's translation of Bede;[2] about 890 in the OED.[5]

Semantic evolution

Twelve reflects the same formation.[3][2] Outside Germanic the only parallel is in Lithuanian, which uses -lika, left over, as in vienuolika, eleven, and dvylika, twelve, and continues the series to nineteen.[3][4] Use without a noun is from about 1205.[5] A team of eleven players, as in cricket, is from 1743.[3][5] A mid-morning snack, eleven o'clock or in Scots eleven hours, is dialect from 1805.[5][6]

Timeline

  • before 900 – endleofan.[2]
  • c. 1205 – without a noun.[5]
  • 1743 – a team of eleven.[3]
  • 1805 – eleven o'clock, a snack.[5]

Modern meaning

Numeral

  1. The cardinal number that is ten plus one.

Noun

  1. A team of eleven players, as in football or cricket.

Word family

  • eleventh
  • elevenses
  • eleven-plus

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)

Related etymologies

  • nowhere · also from Old English
  • forth · also from Old English
  • bid · also from Old English
  • string · also from Old English
  • smooth · also from Old English
  • sheet · also from Old English
  • sake · also from Old English
  • pot · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Eleven.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/eleven. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·