Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for ell

ell

1
or el

[ el ]

noun

  1. an extension usually at right angles to one end of a building.
  2. something that is L -shaped.


ell

2

[ el ]

noun

  1. a former measure of length, varying in different countries: in England equal to 45 inches (114 centimeters).

ell

1

/ ɛl /

noun

  1. an obsolete unit of length equal to approximately 45 inches
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


ell

2

/ ɛl /

noun

  1. an extension to a building, usually at right angles and located at one end
  2. a pipe fitting, pipe, or tube with a sharp right-angle bend
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of ell1

First recorded in 1765–75; a spelling of the letter name, or by shortening of elbow

Origin of ell2

First recorded before 950; Middle English, Old English eln; cognate with Old Norse eln, Old High German elina, Gothic aleina, Latin ulna, Greek ōlénē. See elbow
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of ell1

Old English eln the forearm (the measure originally being from the elbow to the fingertips); related to Old High German elina, Latin ulna, Greek ōlenē

Origin of ell2

C20: a spelling of L, indicating a right angle
Discover More

Example Sentences

I got halfway across the street and realized: "Effin'ell, I didn't pay!"

An end of the old house had been burned several years before, but the kitchen ell was still standing, with chimney complete.

Lamb saw an ashen-face bespectacled man peering around the corner of an ell.

A long ell ran out behind, evidently containing the kitchen and then the sheds and outhouses.

The side door, on a grape-shadowed porch, was in this ell, facing the barn across the way.

C(urrer) B(ell) was a thin disguise for C(harlotte) B(ront), but it did not deceive the relatives.

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Elk MountainsElla