Meanings
Origin
- Middle English*elfare
- Englishelver
Variant of eelfare, originally "brood of young eels", from Middle English *elfare, *elvare, from el (“eel”) + fare (“group of journeyers”). Equivalent to eel + fare. Liberman instead connects the second element of this word to a putative Old English suffix *-for(e), but there is no need to posit such a suffix when the traditional etymology suffices. Furthermore, such a suffix is not securely attested, and the spelling of the word's earliest attestation (as yele fare, ell vare) implies Middle English /aː/.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan angula, anguiló
- angulaa young eel
- anguilóa young eel
Danish glasål
- glasåla young eel
Dutch glasaal, aaltje
- glasaala young eel
- aaltjea young eel
- palinkjea young eel
French anguille de verre, civelle
- anguille de verrea young eel
- civellea young eel
- pibalea young eel
- bouirona young eel
German Steigaal
- Steigaala young eel
Irish luathóg
- luathóga young eel
Māori ngorengore, nīoreore
- ngorengorea young eel
- nīoreorea young eel
- ngāeroeroa young eel
Spanish angula
- angulaa young eel
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
elver. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elver
“elver.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elver. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “elver,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/elver.
Source: elver on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.