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el

 - 15 dictionary results

el

1  [el]
Use el in a Sentence
–noun
Informal. elevated railroad.
Origin:
by shortening

el

2  [el]
–noun
ell 1 .

el

3  [el]
–noun
the letter l.

el.

 
elevation.

el⋅bow

  [el-boh]
–noun
1. the bend or joint of the human arm between upper arm and forearm.
2. the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped.
3. something bent like an elbow, as a sharp turn in a road or river, or a piece of pipe bent at an angle.
4. Architecture. crossette.
5. Also called ell, el. a plumbing pipe or pipe connection having a right-angled bend.
–verb (used with object)
6. to push with or as if with the elbow; jostle.
7. to make (one's way) by so pushing.
–verb (used without object)
8. to elbow one's way: He elbowed through the crowd.
—Idioms
9. at one's elbow, within easy reach; nearby: A virtue of the cottage is that the ocean is at your elbow.
10. bend, lift, or crook an elbow, Informal. to drink alcoholic beverages.
11. give the elbow, shove aside, get rid of, or reject.
12. out at the elbows,
a. poorly dressed; shabby.
b. impoverished.
Also, out at elbows.
13. rub elbows with, to mingle socially with; associate with: a resort where royalty rubs elbows with the merely rich.
14. up to one's elbows, very busy; engrossed: I am up to my elbows in answering mail. Also, up to the elbows.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME elbowe, OE el(n)boga; c. MD elle(n)bōghe, OHG el(l)inbogo (G Ellenbogen), ON ǫl(n)bogi; lit., “forearm-bend.” See ell 2 , bow 1

elevated railroad

 
–noun
a railroad system operating on an elevated structure, as over streets.
Also called el.

Origin:
1865–70, Americanism

ell

1  [el]
–noun
1. an extension usually at right angles to one end of a building.
2. elbow (def. 5).
3. something that is L-shaped.
Also, el.

Origin:
1765–75; a sp. of the letter name, or by shortening of elbow
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To el
el 1 also ell   (ěl)   
n.  The letter l.
el 2   (ěl)   
n.   Informal
An elevated railway.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

elbow 
O.E. elnboga, from ell "length of the forearm" + boga "bow, arch," from W.Gmc. *alinobogan, from P.Gmc. *elino-bugon, lit. "bend of the forearm." Second element related to O.E. bugan "to bend;" first element from *alina "arm," from PIE *el- "elbow, forearm" (see ell). The verb meaning "thrust with the elbow" is from 1605; fig. sense is from 1863. Phrase elbow grease "hard rubbing" is attested from 1672, from jocular sense of "the best substance for polishing furniture."

ell 
O.E. eln "unit of measure of 45 inches," originally "length of the arm," from PIE *el- "elbow, forearm" (cf. Gk. olene "elbow," L. ulna, Arm. uln "shoulder," Skt. anih "part of the leg above the knee," Lith. alkune "elbow"). The exact distance varied, depending on whose arm was used as the base and whether it was measured from the shoulder to the fingertip or the wrist: the Scot. ell was 37.2 inches, the Flem. 27 inches. L. ulna also was a unit of linear measure.
"Whereas shee tooke an inche of liberty before, tooke an ell afterwardes" [1580].
Sense of "building extension" is Amer.Eng. 1773, for resemblance to the shape of the alphabet letter.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: el·bow
Pronunciation: 'el-"bO
Function: noun
1 : the joint between the human forearm and the upper arm that supports the outercurve of the arm when bent called also elbow joint
2 : a joint in the anterior limb of a lower vertebrate corresponding to the elbow
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

elbow el·bow (ěl'bō')
n.

  1. The joint or bend of the arm between the forearm and the upper arm. Also called cubitus.

  2. The bony outer projection of this joint.

  3. Something having a bend or an angle similar to an elbow.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
el

  1. elevated railroad

  2. Greek

EL

  1. electroluminescent

  2. exposure level

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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