eleven

Definition

The cardinal number occurring after ten and before twelve. Represented as 11 in Arabic digits.

Etymology

From Middle English elleven, enleven, eleven, from Old English endleofan; from Proto-Germanic *ainalif (“one left”) (i.e., one left over after having already counted to ten), a compound of *ainaz and *-lif, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave, remain”). Compare West Frisian alve, Low German ölven, Dutch elf, German elf, Icelandic ellefu, Danish and Norwegian elleve.

Example Sentences

• "It was a thunderstormy morning, eleven o'clock, with great dashes of rain pounding against the windows."
• "I know most girls say that they've known their bezzies since they started primary school together, bonding over handmade Mother's Day cards or a hatred of the egg-and-spoon race, but I've only known Taryn since I was eleven[…]"
• "It was also a work of fiction in which another work of fiction (Gulliver's Travels) was real; that Chinese box of an idea is wonderful to discover when you're eleven."