alf

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-West Germanic *albi, 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