ell

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“
I hope I didn't speak reproachfully We--ell, my first idea was that an aunt was the only relative I should have with me on this trip.

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Definitions (8)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun A wing of a building at right angles to the main structure.
  2. noun A right-angled bend in a pipe or conduit; an elbow.
  3. noun Any of several historical units of measure corresponding roughly to the length of the arm, especially the English measure equal to 45 inches (114 centimeters).
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (1)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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This word has been looked up 109 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. From its resemblance to the shape of the capital letter L, or short for elbow.
  2. Middle English, from Old English eln, the length from the elbow to the middle finger's tip, ell; see el- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Middle English elle, elne, from Anglo-Saxon eln, an ell (18, 20½, 24, etc., inches), = Dutch el, elle = Old High German elina, elna, Middle High German eline, elne, ellen, German elle = Icelandic alin = Swedish aln = Danish alen = Gothic (Moesogothic) aleina (for *alina?), an ell, whence Italian auna, French aune, an ell; orig. the forearm (as in Anglo-Saxon eln-boga, English elbow), = Latin ulna, the forearm, the elbow, an ell, = Greek ὠλένη, the forearm: see elbow, ulna.
 

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/ɛl/
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