Ell¹

Forms: 1–7 eln, 2–7 elne, 3–6 ellen (3 a nellen for an ellen), (4 ellyn, 6 eline), 6 el, 5–7 elle, 6– ell. [Com. Teut.: OE. ęln, str. fem. = MDu. elne, elle (Du. el), OHG. elina (MHG. elne, mod.G. elle), ON. ǫln, alin (Sw. aln, Da. alen), Goth. aleina (? scribal error for *alina) cubit:—OTeut. *alinâ, whence med.L. alena, It., OSp., OPg. alna, F. aune. The OTeut. word (a compound of which is ELBOW) meant originally arm or fore-arm, and is cogn. with Gr. ὠλένη, L. ulna, of same meaning.

  The diversity of meanings (see below) is common to all words denoting linear measures derived from the length of the arm; cf. CUBIT and L. ulna. The word ell seems to have been variously taken to represent the distance from the elbow or from the shoulder to the wrist or to the finger-tips, while in some cases a ‘double ell’ has superseded the original measure, and has taken its name.]

  1.  A measure of length varying in different countries. The English ell = 45 in.; the Scotch = 37.2; the Flemish = 27 in. Now only Hist. or with reference to foreign countries, the Eng. measure being obsolete.

  In early use often in sing. when preceded by numerals.

c. 1000.  Ags. Gosp., Matt. vi. 27. Hwylc eower mæʓ … ʓeþencan þæt he ʓe-eacniʓe ane elne [950 Lindisf. elne an vel enne; 1160 Hatton enne elne] to hys anlicnesse.

c. 1000.  Ælfric, Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, 158. Ulna, eln.

c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 586. So wunderlike it wex and get Ðat fiftene elne it ouer-flet.

1297.  R. Glouc. (1724), 429. False elnen & mesures he broȝte al clene adoun.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 1675. A schippe … Seuen score ellen lang and ten. Ibid., 1838. Þe flod ouer raght seuen eln and mare.

1487.  Act 3 Hen. VII., c. 7. All merchandises … used to be measured with Eln or Yard.

1502.  Arnolde, Chron. (1811), 204. Item a Fll ell conteyneth iii q’t’s of an Eng. yarde, and v. q’t’s of y^e Fll ell makith an Eng. ell.

1520.  Test. Ebor. (Surtees), V. 119. A ellen of yolow velvett.

1542.  Recorde, Gr. Artes (1575), 207. 3 Foote and 9 Ynches make an Elle.

1597.  Shaks., Rom. & Jul., II. iv. 88. O, here’s a wit of Cheuerel, that stretches from an ynch narrow to an ell broad!

1609.  Skene, Reg. Maj., 57. King Davids common elne conteines threttie seven measured inches.

1625–8.  R. N., trans. Camden’s Hist. Eliz., II. an. 17 (1635), 180. A monstrous Whale … whose length was measured to bee twenty of our Elnes.

1633.  Earl Manch., Al Mondo (1636), 138. Ere long two ells of earth shall serve, whom scarce a world could satisfie.

1753.  Hanway, Trav. (1762), I. VII. lxxxviii. 408. 102 Ells dantzig make 50 ells english.

1805.  Forsyth, Beauties Scotl., II. 275. The ell by which their acres have been measured (called the barony ell) contains 42 inches, whereas the common ell made use of in the country is only 38 inches.

1837.  Carlyle, Fr. Rev., II. I. ix. 58. Tearful women wetting whole ells of cambric in concert.

  b.  fig. Contrasted with inch, span, etc.; esp. in proverbial phrase, Give him an inch and he’ll take an ell: meaning that undue advantage will be taken of a slight concession.

1562.  J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 78. Ye liked … better an Ynche of your Wyll, Than an ell of your thrift.

1580.  H. Gifford, Gilloflowers (1875), 57. Whereas shee tooke an inche of liberty before, tooke an ell afterwardes.

1633.  G. Herbert, Temple, Ch.-porch, ad fin., Lifes poore span Make not an ell by trifling in thy wo.

1643.  Myst. Iniq., 40. That gave but a Yard, they took an Ell.

1653.  Z. Bogan, Mirth Chr. Life, 305. Have a care of taking an ell, when you have but an inch allowed you.

1793.  Canning, Ballynahinch, v. in Anti-Jacobin, 9 July. Tho’ they still took an ell when we gave them an inch.

  c.  As a fluid measure.

  [Several correspondents inform us that they remember seeing the announcement ‘Beer sold by the yard,’ on the signboards of country taverns, the reference being to the long narrow glasses about a yard high.]

1649.  Lovelace, Poems, 99. For Elles of Beere, Flutes of Canary Thankes freest, freshest, Faire Ellinda.

  † 2.  A measuring rod; = ELL-WAND. Phrase, To measure with the long ell, with the short ell: to measure unfairly as buyer or seller, respectively.

1474.  Caxton, Chesse, 119. In hys right hand an elle for to mesure wyth.

1580.  Sidney, Arcadia (1622), 62. The night measured by the short ell of sleepe.

1637.  R. Monro, Exped., II. 46. Sometimes the Souldiers (the worst sort of them) measured the packes belonging to the Marchants with the long ell.

a. 1656.  Bp. Hall, Soliloquies, 78. Thus spake a true Idol’s Priest that knew no ell, whereby to measure religion, but profit.

1768.  Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1852), I. 85. The mercer … upon seeing the ladies gown … can cut off her quantity by guess, without … taking his ell to measure it.

  † b.  Sc. King’s ell: ‘Orion’s belt’: = ELL-WAND 3. Obs.

a. 1605.  Montgomerie, Flyting, Wks. (1821), 118. Be the hornes, the handstaff and the King’s ell.

  † 3.  Long ell: a particular kind of cloth. Obs.

1725.  De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 198. Baize, long ells, druggets, broadcloth.

1735.  Berkeley, Querist, § 520. Fine cloths in Somersetshire, long ells at Exeter.

  † 4.  As a rendering of L. ulna: The larger bone of the fore-arm. Obs.

1615.  Crooke, Body of Man, 903. The other externall branch … at the middle of the Ell shooteth out a propagation from his outside.

1634.  T. Johnson, trans. Parey’s Chirurg., VI. xxvi. 147. The Ell, or bone of the cubit … hath … two appendices.

  5.  Comb., as ell-broad, -long, -wide adjs.; † ell-glass (see 1 c.); † ell-ridge, an old land-measure; † ell-yard, an ell-measure. Also ELL-WAND.

1476.  Plumpton Corr., 37. The bredth of it is *elme broade.

1696.  J. F., Merchant’s Ware-ho., 20. This being the last sort of Ellbroad Gentish that I shall treat of at present.

1682.  Way to make Rum, in Harl. Misc., I. 541. The Germans commonly drink whole tankards, and *ell-glasses, at a draught.

1832.  Tour German Prince, III. II. 36. I ate a good dinner, and then added to this *ell-long letter.

1756.  Extract fr. MS. Let., Peter Guffin (aged 82 in 1756) was unacquainted with such an old measure of land as an *Ell Ridge, but had heard it contained 60 Luggs.

1652.  Collinges, Caveat for Prof., iv. (1653), 25. Your *ell-wide opinion.

1826.  Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. II. (1863), 425. A pretty quaker … did persuade me that ell-wide muslin would go as far as a yard and a half.

c. 1340.  Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 210. Þe hede of an *elnȝerde þe large lenkþe hade.

c. 1450.  Myrc, 713. False ellen yerdes, wetyngly other than the lawe of the lond.