Ell
/ɛl/noun
An old English unit of length, originally based on the length of the arm.
Did you know?The word was once tied to the body as a practical measuring tool, and its deeper Indo-European root also lives on in words for the elbow — the bend that marks the arm’s hidden measure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*el-
“to bend, curve”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*alinō
“forearm; cubit-like measure”
Old English
OE
eln
“forearm; ell as a measure”
Middle English
ME
elle
“a unit of length, especially for cloth”
Modern English
English
ell
“an obsolete unit of length, formerly based on the length of the arm”