Els

/ɛlz/ noun

Definition

Elevated railways or trains, particularly the Chicago 'L' (elevated train system), or the plural of 'el,' an abbreviation for elevated railway.

Etymology

Short for 'elevated,' first used in New York in the 1800s for overhead railway systems. 'El' became the standard abbreviation, and 'els' is the plural form.

Kelly Says

Chicago's 'L' system (built starting in 1892) was revolutionary—it solved urban congestion by taking trains above street level, and it's now the second-largest rapid transit system in the US with 224 stations!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

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