-elle

American

a noun suffix occurring in loanwords from French, where it originally formed diminutives, now often with a derivative sense in which the diminutive force is lost (bagatelle; prunelle; rondelle ); also in Anglicized forms of Latin words ending in -ella (organelle ).

Etymology

Origin of -elle

< French < Latin -ella, feminine of -ellus, forming diminutives corresponding to stems ending in -ul- -ule, -r- ( castellum ), -n- ( patella )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You got to sit down with Elle Fanning, starring in “Sentimental Value.”

From Los Angeles Times

Elle is this veteran actress, and she’s not even 30 years old yet.

From Los Angeles Times

Yvonne and Elle, here’s their conversation now.

From Los Angeles Times

You’re seeing, like, Elle Fanning reuniting with Timothée Chalamet — they starred in a movie last year together.

From Los Angeles Times

Sanders were the first presidential candidate Elle Parker, 30, ever cast a ballot for in a presidential election.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023