elver

Meaning

A young eel.

Synonyms

glasseel

American eel

common eel

freshwater eel

young eel

Translations

angula

civelle

aal

angula

bouiron

anguillette

anguille de verre

enguia jovem

Älchen

ceca

Anguilla rostrata

Jungaal

pibale

yılanbalığı yavrusu

Glasaal

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɛlvə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English:

In summary

Variant of eelfare, originally "brood of young eels", from Middle English *elfare, *elvare, from el (“eel”) + fare (“group of journeyers”). Equivalent to eel + fare.
Liberman instead connects the second element of this word to a putative Old English suffix *-for(e), but there is no need to posit such a suffix when the traditional etymology suffices. Furthermore, such a suffix is not securely attested, and the spelling of the word's earliest attestation (as yele fare, ell vare) implies Middle English /aː/.