eleven (English)

Where does "eleven" come from?

The word 'eleven' traces its origins back to a Proto-Germanic compound meaning 'one left' or 'one remaining,' reflecting the idea of having one single digit left over after completing a set of ten. This term evolved through Old English as 'endleofan' and Middle English as 'elleven,' eventually shedding its original literal meaning to become our modern numerical name. It shares a common ancestry with many other Germanic languages, all stemming from a Proto-Indo-European root that denoted leaving or remaining behind.

Full etymology tree

eleven (English), 'The cardinal number occurring after ten and before twelve. Represented as 11 in Arabic digits.'
- inherited elleven (Middle English), 'eleven'
  - inherited endleofan (Old English), 'eleven'
    - inherited *ainalif (Proto-Germanic), 'eleven'
      - compound *ainaz (Proto-Germanic), 'one'
        inherited *h₁óynos (Proto-Indo-European), 'one'
      - compound *-lif (Proto-Germanic), 'Used in Proto-Germanic *ainalif and Proto-Germanic *twalif by compounding with *ainaz (“one”) and *twai (“two”), in the sense of how many are left over after counting ten.'
        deverbal *lībaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to remain, to be left'
        inherited *leyp- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to stick'

Direct ancestors

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris