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GERMAN · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

Elen.

moose (US), elk (UK) (Alces alces)

4 characters2 syllables approx.Deutsch language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈeːlən/
  1. moose (US), elk (UK) (Alces alces)

    archaic · masculine · neuter · strong
Where this word comes from

From Middle High German eln, elent (mid-13th c.), of uncertain origin. Often derived from Old Lithuanian elenis (“deer”, modern élnias), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el-. This derivation is supported by the fact that the el(e)n form appears during a time when the elk was gradually dying out in the German-speaking lands. However, it must be noted that the Lithuanian word does not refer to the elk specifically. Even more importantly, elen (from elhen by regular loss of prevocalic h in Central and Low German dialects) can represent a generalised oblique case or plural of Proto-Germanic *elhô, weak-stem variant of *elhaz. Compare the Old High German hapax elo for usual el(a)ho. This would make it a mere byform of Elch.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.