ellen

E1L1L1E1N1
/ˈɛl.ən//ˈɛl.ɪn/

noun

Zeal.

OriginMiddle English elne ← Old English ellen ← Proto-West Germanic *alljan →
CommonScrabble 5
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Meanings

ellen1

nounellen (uncountable)

alternative elne

  1. obsoleteuncountableZeal.
  2. obsoleteuncountableStrength; courage.
  3. uncountablelifestyleStrength vouchsafed; comfort; grace.

Ellen2

proper nounEllen (countable and uncountable, plural Ellens)

plural Ellens

  1. countableuncountableA female given name from Ancient Greek.

    And how doth my cousin, your bedfellow? and your fairest daughter and mine, my god-daughter Ellen?

    c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]
    2 more examples

    "Is her name Ellen or Helen, Miss Viner? I thought - " Miss Viner closed her eyes. "I can sound my h's, dear, as well as anyone, but Helen is not a suitable name for a servant. I don't know what the mothers in the lower classes are coming to nowadays."

    1928, Agatha Christie, The Mystery of the Blue Train

    Ellen Page gives a star-making performance as a 16-year-old live wire who decides to go through with her pregnancy and seeks acceptably well-adjusted, wealthy, punk-rock loving parents for the unborn baby.

    2007 September 10, “Review: Jones, Coens, Penn highlight Toronto”, in CNN
  2. countableuncountableA river in Cumberland district, Cumbria, England, that flows into the Solway Firth at Maryport.

Origin

ellen · noun

  1. Proto-Germanic*aljaną“zeal, power, courage”
  2. Proto-West Germanic*alljan
  3. Old Englishellen“zeal, strength, power, vigor, valor, courage, fortitude, strife, contention”
  4. Middle Englishelne
  5. Englishellen

From Middle English elne, ellen, from Old English ellen (“zeal, strength, power, vigor, valor, courage, fortitude, strife, contention”), from Proto-West Germanic *alljan, from Proto-Germanic *aljaną (“zeal, power, courage”). Cognate with Middle High German ellen (“strength, manhood”), Middle Low German ellen (“strength, power, courage, vigor, bravery”), Icelandic elja (“endurance, energy”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Ellen · proper noun

  1. Ancient GreekἙλένη
  2. EnglishEllen

Medieval English variant of Helen, from Ancient Greek Ἑλένη (Helénē); also used as a variant of Eleanor or a feminine counterpart to Elliot.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan Elena
  • Elenafemale given name
Danish Ellen
  • Ellenfemale given name
Estonian Ellen
  • Ellenfemale given name
Finnish Ellen
  • Ellenfemale given name
German Ellen
  • Ellenfemale given name
Irish Eibhlín
  • Eibhlínfemale given name
Māori Erana
  • Eranafemale given name
Norwegian Ellen
  • Ellenfemale given name
Russian Алёна
  • Алёна (Aljóna)female given name
Swedish Ellen
  • Ellenfemale given name
Ukrainian Альона
  • Альона (Alʹona)female given name

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with ellen

helenVenezuelanMcClellanMcClellandfelonMcLellanMcLelland
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

ellen

Anagrams

Nelle
Cite this entry
APA

ellen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ellen

MLA

“ellen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ellen. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ellen,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ellen.

Source: ellen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.