"E" Word Origins

electrocute

Origin · 1800

A blend of "electro-" and "execute," coined around the introduction of the electric chair in the late 1800s.

electrocution

Origin · 1880

A blend of "electro-" and "execution," coined in the US in the late 1880s alongside the electric chair.

electrode

Greek · 1833

Coined by scientist Michael Faraday in 1833, combining Greek ēlektron ("amber," the root of "electricity") with hodos, "way" or "path."

electromagnetic

Origin

From electro- ("electric") plus magnetic, describing the single force that unites electricity and magnetism.

electromagnetism

Origin · 1800

From electro- ("electricity") plus magnetism, reflecting the 19th-century discovery that the two forces are really one.

electron

Origin · 1891

Coined around 1891 by physicist George Stoney, blending "electric" and "ion" to name the unit of electric charge; the word later came to mean the particle itself.

electronic

Origin

From electron plus the adjective suffix -ic.

electronically

Origin

From electronic plus the adverb suffix -ally.

electronics

Origin

From electron plus the noun-forming suffix -ics, on the model of words like "physics."

electroshock

Origin

From electro- ("electric") plus shock.

eleemosynary

Origin

From Medieval Latin eleēmosynārius (“alms dispenser”), from Late Latin eleēmosyna (“alms”), from Ancient Greek ἐλεημοσύνη (eleēmosúnē, “alms”), from ἐλεήμων (eleḗmōn, “merciful”) + -σῠ́νη (-sŭ́nē, “suffix denoting an abstract noun”). Compare Italian elemosina.

elegance

Latin

From Middle French élégance, from Latin ēlegantia, meaning refinement or exquisiteness.

elegant

Latin

From Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin ēlegāns, related to ēligere ("to choose carefully") — the same root as "elect."

elegantly

Origin

From elegant plus the adverb suffix -ly.

elegiac

Origin

From Middle French élégiaque, from Latin elegīacus, from Ancient Greek ἐλεγειακός (elegeiakós).

elegy

Greek

From Greek "elegos," a mournful poem or song.

element

Latin

From Old French element, from Latin elementum, meaning a first principle or basic building block.

elemental

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin elementālis, built from element plus the adjective suffix -al.

elementary

Latin

From Latin elementārius, meaning "of the basic principles," from elementum.

Elena

Italian

Borrowed from Italian and Spanish Elena, a cognate of the English name Helen.

Eleni

Greek

A transliteration of the Greek name Ελένη (Eléni), related to Helen and Elena.

Eleonora

Origin

A variant form of Eleanor.

elephant

Ancient Greek

From Old French elefant, ultimately from Ancient Greek elephas ("elephant, ivory"), possibly borrowed from an ancient North African language.

elephantic

Origin

From elephant + -ic.

elephantine

Origin

From Latin elephantīn(us). By surface analysis, elephant + -ine.

elevate

Latin

From Latin ēlevō ("to raise up"), from ē- ("out") plus levō ("to lighten, lift"), related to "levity" and "lever."

elevated

Origin

The past participle of elevate, used as an adjective.

elevation

Latin

From Latin ēlevātiō, from elevate plus the noun suffix -ion.

elevator

Origin

From elevate plus the agent suffix -or, meaning "something that raises."

eleven

Old English

From Old English endleofan, literally "one left [over]" after counting to ten — from Proto-Germanic roots meaning "one" and "left, remaining."

eleventh

Middle English

From Middle English elleventhe, formed from eleven plus the ordinal suffix -th.

elf

Old English

From Old English ælf, from a Proto-Germanic root probably meaning "white" or "shining." The tall, noble elf of modern fantasy owes much to J.R.R. Tolkien's writing.

elfishness

Origin

From elfish + -ness.

Elgar

Old English

From Old English Ælfgār, combining "elf" and "spear."

Elgin

Scottish Gaelic

As a Scottish surname and place name, from Elgin, Moray, itself from Scottish Gaelic Eilginn.

Eli

Hebrew

From Hebrew, meaning roughly "ascent" or "high."

Elias

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Ēlías, the Greek rendering of the Hebrew prophet's name Elijah.

elicit

Latin

From Latin ēliciō, meaning "to draw forth."

elif

Origin

A blend of "else" and "if."

eligible

Latin

From Latin ēligō ("to select, choose").

Elijah

Hebrew

From Hebrew Eliyahu, meaning "Yahweh is my God."

eliminate

Latin

From Latin ēlīminō, literally "to turn out of doors," from ē- ("out") plus līmen ("threshold").

elimination

Latin

From Latin ēliminātiō, from eliminate plus the noun suffix -ion.

Elinor

Origin

A variant form of Eleanor.

Eliot

Origin

A variant of the surname and given name Elliott.

elis

Origin

From Ancient Greek Ἦλις (Êlis).

Elisa

Origin

A spelling variant of Elise.

Elisabeth

Ancient Greek

The spelling of Elizabeth used in the Authorized Version of the New Testament. Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἐλισάβετ (Elisábet), a transliteration of Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע (Elishéva, “my God is an oath”).