An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Elle

by Friedrich Kluge

Elle, feminine, from the equivalent Middle High German ęlle, ęle, ęln, ęlne, Old High German ęlina (and ęlin), feminine ‘ell’; corresponding to Gothic aleina (wrongly written for *alina?), Old Icelandic ǫln, Anglo-Saxon ęln, feminine, English ell, Dutch el, elle; all these words signify ‘ell,’ which is derived from the literally meaning ‘fore-arm’ (compare Fuß, Spanne, Klafter, as standards of measure). The word in the form ō̆lē̆nâ is also preserved in other Aryan languages. Compare Greek ‘ὠλένη, ‘elbow, arm,’ Latin ulna, ‘elbow, arm, ell,’ Old Irish uile, Sanscrit aratní, Old Slovenian lakŭtĭ (from *olkŭtĭ), Lithuanian ólektis (ŭlektis), ‘elbow, ell,’ are more remote; they also contain, however, the comnmon Aryan ŏle- (whence too Ahle?). From the Teutonic *alina the Romance cognates — Italian alna (French aune) — are borrowed. —