elleven (Middle English)

Where does "elleven" come from?

The Middle English number 'elleven'[1] descends directly from Old English 'endleofan'[1][2], which traces back through Proto-West Germanic 'ainalif'[1] to Proto-Germanic 'ainalif'[1][2][3]. This Germanic term is a compound formed from 'ainaz', meaning 'one', and '*-lif', meaning 'left over'[3]. The latter element derives from 'lībaną', meaning 'to remain, be left'[3]. Ultimately, 'ainaz' stems from Proto-Indo-European '*h₁óynos'[4].

Open questions

The appearance of the voiced Verner alternant b in the reconstruction of lībaną is unexpected, and the verb may alternatively derive from a different root or be back-formed. [5]
The shift of primary stress from the first to the second syllable in the development of the word is unexpected. [1]

Full etymology tree

elleven (Middle English), 'eleven'
- inherited endleofan (Old English), 'eleven'
  - inherited *ainalif (Proto-West Germanic)
    - 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.'
        derived *lībaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to remain, to be left'

Ancestors

endleofan (Old English)
*ainalif (Proto-Germanic)

Descendants and derived words

eleven (English)
eleven (English)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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