æl-

Old English

Etymology 1

Combining form of eall. The prefix and the full word had been different at least since Proto-Germanic times: eall is from Proto-Germanic *allaz, with two L's, while æl- is from *ala-, with one L.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /æl/

Prefix

æl-

  1. all; complete, completely
    æl- + gylden (golden)ælgylden (made of pure gold)
    æl- + miht (power)ælmiht (omnipotence)
    æl- + mihtiġ (powerful)ælmihtiġ (all-powerful)
    æl- + nīewe (new)ælnīewe (brand new)
    æl- + mierca (dark)ælmierca (black person)
  2. quite, very
    æl- + fela (many)ælfela (very many)
Usage notes
  • Do not confuse this or the term below with the noun ǣl, which means "eel." Ǣlnett means "eel net," not "all-net," while ælmiht means omnipotence, not eel power.
Derived terms
Old English terms prefixed with æl-
Descendants
  • Middle English: all-, al-

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *alja- ~ *ali-, combining form of *aljaz (other).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /æl/

Prefix

æl-

  1. Alternative form of el-
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