eli

From Proto-Semitic *ʕalay- (“on, over”). Cognate with Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā) and Biblical Hebrew עַל (ʕal), עֲלֵי (ʕălé).

• (Old Babylonian) IPA^(key): /ˈe.li/

eli (pronominal form elī) (from Old Akkadian on)

1. on, above, over, upon
2. towards
3. against
4. beyond, more than
   • 1755–1750 BCE, King Hammurabi of Babylon, translated by OMNIKA Foundation, Hammurabi Code‎^[1], The Louvre, Law 202:

     𒋳𒈠 𒀀𒉿𒈝 𒇷𒂊𒀉 𒀀𒉿𒅆 𒊭 𒂊𒇷𒋗 𒊏𒁍𒌑 𒅎𒋫𒄩𒊍 𒄿𒈾 𒁍𒌔𒊑𒅎 𒄿𒈾 𒋢𒉮 𒄞 𒁹𒋗𒅆 𒅎𒈤𒄩𒊍

     [šumma awīlum lēt awīlim ša elīšu rabû imtaḫaṣ, ina puḫrim ina qinnāz alpim (ištēn) šūši immaḫḫaṣ.]

     šum-ma a-wi-lum le-e-et a-wi-lim ša e-li-šu ra-bu-u₂ im-ta-ḫa-aṣ i-na pu-uḫ₂-ri-im i-na ^kušUSAN₃ GUD 1 šu-ši im-maḫ-ḫa-aṣ

     If a man has struck the cheek of a man who is of higher rank than he, he will be struck with an ox whip sixty times in the assembly.

• ili, elu, el
• al (Old Akkadian)

• “eli”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[2], Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1956–2011
• Black, Jeremy, George, Andrew, Postgate, Nicholas (2000) “eli”, in A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd corrected edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, via the electronic Babylonian Library
• Huehnergard, John (2011) A Grammar of Akkadian (Harvard Semitic Studies; 45), 3rd edition, Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns

Proto-Nubian *il-di.

eli

1. woman

• [3] (as eli)
• Salem Chaker, Andrzej Zaborski, Etudes berbères et chamito-sémitiques: mélanges offerts à Karl-G. Prasse (2000) (as ǐḷī)

eli

1. to be.

Either from the pronominal stem e- seen in että (compare mikäli, from mikä), or alternatively a North Germanic loan (compare Old Norse ella, ellar, from Proto-Germanic *aljaz). Also compare Estonian elik.

• IPA^(key): /ˈeli(ˣ)/, [ˈe̞li(ʔ)]
• Rhymes: -eli
• Syllabification^(key): e‧li
• Hyphenation^(key): eli

eli (coordinating)

1. that is, that is to say, i.e.; in other words, to put it another way; as in (used to introduce a clarification or explanation)

   Hän tulee tänne maanantaina eli ylihuomenna. ― She's coming here on Monday as in two days from now.

   Kuivajää sublimoituu lämmetessään kaasuksi, eli se muuttuu suoraan kaasuksi muuttumatta välillä nesteeksi. ― Dry ice sublimates to gas directly, i.e. it turns straight into gas without turning into a liquid in between.

2. or, also known as, AKA, a.k.a. (used to introduce an alternative name)

   Synonyms: l., alias, a.k.a.

   Kikka eli Kirsi Sirén ― Kikka a.k.a. Kirsi Sirén

   ruokasuola eli natriumkloridi ― table salt or sodium chloride

3. (informal) so (used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question; used to introduce a rhetorical question)

   Synonym: siis (when not colloquial, it is usually not the first word in the sentence)

   Eli miten se tarina päättyy? ― So how does the story end?

   Eli kävit siellä eilen. ― So you did go there yesterday.

4. (archaic or dialectal) or

   Synonyms: tai, (exclusive or in questions) vai

   Lähdetkö mukaan eli et? ― Are you coming along or not?

• “eli”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

• IPA^(key): /ˈeli/, [ˈe̞li]
• Rhymes: -eli
• Syllabification^(key): e‧li
• Hyphenation^(key): eli

eli

1. third-person singular past indicative of elää

   Hän eli täällä.

   He lived here.

• lei, lie

elu (“she, her”) +‎ -i (“-s; plural”)

eli pl

1. they, them (feminine)

• li (“they, them”)
• ili (“they, them”) (masculine)
• oli (“they, them”) (neuter)

Cognate with Urhobo eni, Edo ení, Igbo enyi, Yoruba erin, Olukumi erin. This form was replaced by Igala àdagbá, from Idoma adagba or Nupe dagba. Proposed to be derived from Proto-Yoruboid *é-lĩ or Proto-Yoruboid *é-nĩ. See Benue-Congo cognates, Ibibio eniin, Tee ni, Proto-Lower Cross River *é-nì:n, Proto-Ogoni *ǹnĩ, Westermann constructs a possible reconstruction to Proto-Atlantic-Congo *-ni-.

• IPA^(key): /é.lī/

éli

1. (obsolete) elephant

   Synonym: àdagbá

From the pronominal stem e-, of uncertain origin. Akin to Finnish eli and Estonian elik.
Possibly influenced by or derived from Russian или (ili), Swedish eller.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈeli/, [ˈe̞lʲi]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈeli/, [ˈe̞lʲi]
• Rhymes: -eli
• Hyphenation: e‧li

eli

1. (folk poetic) or

• tali, ehki, vai

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈeli/, [ˈe̞lʲi]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈeli/, [ˈe̞lʲi]
• Rhymes: -eli
• Hyphenation: e‧li

eli

1. third-person singular indicative imperfect of ellää

   Hää eli Soikkolaas. ― She lived in Soikkola.

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 30

eli m

1. plural of elio

• -ile, Lei, lei

From Portuguese ele (“he”), from Old Galician-Portuguese ele, from Latin ille (“that”).

eli

1. he, she or it (third-person singular personal pronoun)^[1]

eli

1. or

• IPA^(key): /ē.lī/

eli

1. alternative form of ali (“character; disposition; behaviour”)

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.li/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛli
• Syllabification: e‧li

eli

1. alternative form of jeśli

• eli in silling.org

Cognate with Sahu 'elingi.

• IPA^(key): [ˈ(ʔ)e.li]

eli

1. (transitive) to remember

• el

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

eli m

1. they, them

eli

1. accusative singular of el
   • 1952, Arie de Jong, Diatek nulik: Gospul ma ‚Matthaeus’. Kapit: I:

     Ekö! jivirgan ogrodikof, ed omotof soni, keli onemoy eli ‚Emmanuel’, kela tradutod binon: God binom ko obs.

     Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means „God-is-with-us”.

From Middle Welsh eli, from Proto-Brythonic *ėliv, borrowed from Latin olīvum, see olīva and oleum.

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈɛlɪ/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈeːli/, /ˈɛli/
• Rhymes: -ɛli

eli m (plural elïau)

1. ointment

   Synonym: ennaint

• eli haul m (“sun cream, sunscreen”)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): [êːli]

êli

1. this; class 5 proximal demonstrative.