Pronunciation: /ɛl/

Definitions of ell

noun a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 45 inches

Example Sentences

A1 I like to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

A2 The farmer used an ell to move the heavy logs.

B1 The carpenter used an ell to measure the length of the board.

B2 The engineer calculated the stress on the bridge using an ell.

C1 The astronomer used a precise ell to measure the distance between stars.

C2 The architect used an ell to ensure the building's dimensions were accurate.

verb to move in a twisting or zigzagging course

Example Sentences

A1 I ell my friend yesterday.

A2 She ell me to meet her at the park.

B1 The teacher ell the students to be quiet during the exam.

B2 He ell his employees to work overtime to meet the deadline.

C1 The coach ell the team to give it their all in the final game.

C2 The CEO ell the board of directors to approve the merger.

Examples of ell in a Sentence

formal The ellipsis is used to indicate the omission of words in a sentence.

informal I'll meet you at the ell by the park.

slang She's really good at shooting hoops at the ell.

figurative The ell of uncertainty hung over the outcome of the election.

Grammatical Forms of ell

past tense

elled

plural

ells

comparative

more ell

superlative

most ell

present tense

ell

future tense

will ell

perfect tense

have elled

continuous tense

is elling

singular

ell

positive degree

ell

infinitive

to ell

gerund

elling

participle

elled

Origin and Evolution of ell

First Known Use: 0900 year
Language of Origin: Old English
Story behind the word: The word 'ell' originated from Old English 'ell', which was derived from the Latin 'ulna' meaning 'forearm'.
Evolution of the word: Originally used as a unit of measurement equal to about 45 inches, the meaning of 'ell' has evolved over time to refer to a length of fabric measuring between 45 and 60 inches.