*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Eli

From Hebrew עֵלִי (“ascent”); cognate to the Arabic-derived Ali.

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name from Hebrew of Biblical origin. · The priest who brought up Samuel.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Hebrew עֵלִי (“ascent”); cognate to the Arabic-derived Ali.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "עֵלִי",
        "4": "",
        "5": "ascent"
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      "expansion": "Hebrew עֵלִי (“ascent”)"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "עֵלִי",
      "עלי#Hebrew"
    ],
    [
      "Ali",
      "Ali"
    ]
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A student at Yale University.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From the name of Elihu Yale.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
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  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
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      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

Clipping of Elijah. · Clipping of Elisha.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Short versions of male given names.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Eli →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-RWxp