elne

E1L1N1E1

verb

To strengthen; hearten; comfort; encourage.

OriginMiddle English elnen ← Old English elnian ← Proto-West Germanic *alljanōn →
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Meanings

elne1

verbelne (third-person singular simple present elnes, present participle elning, simple past and past participle elned)

present singular third person elnes · participle present elning · participle past elned · past elned

  1. obsoletetransitiveTo strengthen; hearten; comfort; encourage.

elne2

nounelne (uncountable)
  1. alternativeuncountableAlternative form of ellen.

Elne3

proper noun
  1. A town of Pyrénées-Orientales department, Occitania, France.

Origin

elne · verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-“to grow, nourish”
  2. Proto-Germanic*aljanōną“to strengthen, encourage”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*alljanōn
  4. Old Englishelnian“to emulate, endeavor to be equal, be zealous, strive with zeal after another, make strong, strengthen, comfort oneself, gain strength”
  5. Middle Englishelnen
  6. Englishelne

From Middle English elnen, from Old English elnian (“to emulate, endeavor to be equal, be zealous, strive with zeal after another, make strong, strengthen, comfort oneself, gain strength”), from Proto-West Germanic *alljanōn, from Proto-Germanic *aljanōną (“to strengthen, encourage”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to grow, nourish”). Cognate with Old High German ellinōn (“to emulate, strive”), Icelandic elna (“to grow stronger”), Gothic 𐌰𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽𐍉𐌽 (aljanōn, “to emulate”). See ellen.

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elne · noun

  1. Old Englishellen“zeal, strength, power, vigor, valor, courage, fortitude, strife, contention”
  2. Middle Englishelne
  3. Englishelne

From Middle English elne, ellen, from Old English ellen (“zeal, strength, power, vigor, valor, courage, fortitude, strife, contention”). More at ellen.

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Elne · proper noun

  1. CatalanElna
  2. FrenchElne
  3. EnglishElne

Borrowed from French Elne, itself from Catalan Elna.

More words from French, Catalan

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Translations

Catalan Elna
  • Elnaa town in Pyrénées-Orientales, France
French Elne
  • Elnea town in Pyrénées-Orientales, France
Latin Illiberi
  • Illiberia town in Pyrénées-Orientales, France

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

leneNeelLeen
Cite this entry
APA

elne. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elne

MLA

“elne.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elne. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “elne,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elne.

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