Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Eli

noun
\ ˈē-ˌlī How to pronounce Eli (audio) \

Definition of Eli

: a judge and priest of Israel who according to the account in I Samuel was entrusted with the care of the boy Samuel

First Known Use of Eli

14th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for Eli

Hebrew ʽĒlī

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about Eli

Dictionary Entries near Eli

Elgin

Elgon, Mount

elhi

Eli

eliad

Elian

Elias

Statistics for Eli

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for Eli

The first known use of Eli was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

More from Merriam-Webster on Eli

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with Eli

Comments on Eli

What made you want to look up Eli? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

belfry

Listen to the pronounciation of belfry

a bell tower

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Where in the World? A Quiz

  • peter bruegel tower of babel painting
  • What language does pajama come from?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games