ENGLISH
REFERENCE

eleven

n.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈiɫɛvən// UK //ɪlˈɛvən// eleven General-service Slang

n. the number that comes right after ten. It is written as 11.

n. the cardinal number equivalent to the sum of ten and one. Functions as a determiner or a noun depending on syntactic context.


SIMPLE

There are eleven players on a soccer team.

CONTEXTUAL

The meeting is scheduled for eleven o'clock in the morning.

COMPLEX

The clock struck eleven just as the last guest departed, leaving the house in a sudden, heavy silence.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English elleven, enleven, eleven, from Old English endleofan; from Proto-Germanic ainalif (“one left”) (i.e., one left over after having already counted to ten), a compound of ainaz and -lif, from Proto-Indo-European leyp- (“leave, remain”). Compare West Frisian alve, Low German ölven, Dutch elf, German elf, Icelandic ellefu, Danish and Norwegian elleve.

Usage

As a cardinal number, it typically precedes the noun it modifies or stands alone as a noun phrase.

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