eleven

[ih-lev-uh n]

noun

a cardinal number, ten plus one.

a symbol for this number, as 11 or XI.

a set of this many persons or things, as a football team.

adjective

amounting to eleven in number.

Origin of eleven

before 900; Middle English elleven(e), Old English ellefne, endleofan; cognate with Old High German einlif (German elf), Old Norse ellifu, Gothic ainlib-, literally, one remaining (after counting 10). See one, leave¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eleven

One morning at about eleven, he announces his intention as though it's truly an unusual thought: “Let's have a little drink.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet the undocumented population remains upwards eleven million.
Legal but Still Poor: The Economic Consequences of Amnesty|Joel Kotkin|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eleven thousand aircraft would bomb preparation and give them air cover.
Blood in the Sand: When James Jones Wrote a Grunt’s View of D-Day|James Jones|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eleven children under the age of 13 have been shot in the city of Milwaukee so far this year.
11 Children Shot in Milwaukee, One in Her Grandpa's Lap|Michael Daly|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Skoller relates how lucky he was for a hung jury—the final, deadlocked vote was eleven to one, for acquittal.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Percy, who played tackle on a winning Crimson eleven, and Sam Felton will be well remembered as the fastest punters of their day.
Football Days|William H. Edwards
Now there are eleven of them, and their wings shine in the sun like blue steel.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 1 (of 2)|Sven Hedin
"The amount altogether is, you perceive, eleven hundred pounds," he continued.
Verner's Pride|Mrs. Henry Wood
The family consisted of eleven children, five sons and six daughters, of whom Brigham was the ninth.
The Story of the Mormons|William Alexander Linn
Henry might change his mind or one of the eleven get in some fine work.
Affinities and Other Stories|Mary Roberts Rinehard

British Dictionary definitions for eleven

eleven

noun

the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and one

a numeral 11, XI, etc, representing this number

something representing, represented by, or consisting of 11 units

(functioning as singular or plural) a team of 11 players in football, cricket, hockey, etc

Also called: eleven o'clock eleven hours after noon or midnight

determiner

amounting to eleveneleven chances
(as pronoun)have another eleven today

Word Origin for eleven

Old English endleofan; related to Old Norse ellefo, Gothic ainlif, Old Frisian andlova, Old High German einlif

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

Word Origin and History for eleven

eleven

c.1200, elleovene, from Old English endleofan, literally "one left" (over ten), from Proto-Germanic *ainlif- (cf. Old Saxon elleban, Old Frisian andlova, Dutch elf, Old High German einlif, German elf, Old Norse ellifu, Gothic ainlif), a compound of *ain "one" (see one) + PIE *leikw- "leave, remain" (cf. Greek leipein "to leave behind;" see relinquish).

FIREFLY: Give me a number from 1 to 10.
CHICOLINI: eleven!
FIREFLY: Right!

Viking survivors who escaped an Anglo-Saxon victory were daroþa laf "the leavings of spears," while hamora laf "the leavings of hammers" was an Old English kenning for "swords" (both from "The Battle of Brunanburgh"). Twelve reflects the same formation. Outside Germanic the only instance of this formation is in Lithuanian, which uses -lika "left over" and continues the series to 19 (vienio-lika "eleven," dvy-lika "twelve," try-lika "thirteen," keturio-lika "fourteen," etc.) Phrase eleventh hour (1829) is from Matthew xx:1-16.

eleven

noun

adjective

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Origin of eleven

Examples from the Web for eleven

eleven

noun

determiner

Word Origin for eleven

eleven