alf

See also: Alf, ALF, älf, and 'alf

Translingual

Symbol

alf

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Alege.

See also

  • Wiktionary’s coverage of Alege terms

English

Etymology

From Danish and Swedish alf, from Old Norse alfr; see also Dutch alf. Doublet of elf, awf, and oaf.

Noun

alf (plural alfs or alfar)

  1. (Norse mythology) A supernatural being similar to an elf; one of the Dǫkkálfar or Ljósalfar.
    • 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 248:
      As the Scandinavians were at that time still worshippers of Thor and Odin, the belief in Alfs and Dwarfs accompanied them to their new abodes, and there, as elsewhere, survived the introduction of Christianity.
    • 2023, Kveldulf Gundarsson, Elves, Wights & Trolls, The Three Little Sisters, page 83:
      [T]he charm suggests rather that the Ases had sunk to a level where they could be counted together with witches and lesser wights, than that the alfs were seen as godly beings at the time the charm was composed.

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse alfr, from Proto-Germanic *albiz.

Noun

alf c (singular definite alfen, plural indefinite alfer)

  1. fairy
  2. elf

Declension

Declension of alf
common
gender
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative alf alfen alfer alferne
genitive alfs alfens alfers alfernes

Derived terms

  • alfedans c
  • alfedronning c
  • alfelet
  • alfepige c
  • lysalf c
  • svartalf c

References

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch alf, from Old Dutch *alf, from Proto-Germanic *albiz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *albʰós. Doublet with Dutch elf (elf), a modern borrowing from English.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɑlf/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: alf
  • Rhymes: -ɑlf

Noun

alf m (plural alven, diminutive alfje n, feminine alve)

  1. a type of folkloristic humanoid or spirit; an elf

Synonyms

  • (mythical being): elf

Derived terms

  • alvermannetje

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *alf, from Proto-Germanic *albiz.

Noun

alf m

  1. elf, evil spirit

Inflection

Strong masculine noun
singular plural
nominative alf alve
accusative alf alve
genitive alfs alve
dative alve alven

Descendants

  • Dutch: alf

Further reading

  • alf”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
  • Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “alf”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Old Norse

Noun

alf

  1. accusative singular of alfr

Old Saxon

Etymology

    From Proto-West Germanic *albi.

    Noun

    alf m

    1. elf

    Declension

    alf (masculine a-stem)
    singular plural
    nominative alf alvos
    accusative alf alvos
    genitive alves alvō
    dative alve alvum
    instrumental

    References

    Plautdietsch

    Numeral

    alf

    1. eleven

    Swedish

    Etymology

    From Old Norse alfr, from Proto-Germanic *albiz.

    Noun

    alf c

    1. alternative spelling of alv (elf)

    Usage notes

    • The word alf (alfven, alfver) turned into alv (alven, alver) in the 1906 spelling reform. Somehow, the old form also lives on, but now with different inflected forms.

    Declension

    Obsolete:

    Anagrams

    Vilamovian

    Vilamovian cardinal numbers
     <  10 11 12  > 
        Cardinal : alf
        Ordinal : alfty

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /alf/
    • Audio:(file)

    Numeral

    ȧlf

    1. eleven

    West Frisian

    Numeral

    alf

    1. alternative form of alve