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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