Elle

/ɛl/ noun

Definition

The French word for the female pronoun 'she,' sometimes used in English contexts or as a name, particularly famous as a fashion and culture magazine.

Etymology

From Old French 'ele,' derived from Latin 'illa' meaning 'that woman.' The word remained in French as the standard feminine pronoun while English evolved differently.

Kelly Says

Elle magazine, launched in 1945 in Paris, took a simple French pronoun as its name to signal that it was sophisticated and fashion-forward—and it worked so well that 'Elle' became more recognizable to English speakers than many English-origin words in fashion.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.