Eli

noun

ˈē-ˌlī How to pronounce Eli (audio)
: a judge and priest of Israel who according to the account in I Samuel was entrusted with the care of the boy Samuel

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew ʽĒlī

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

elhi
Eli
eliad
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Eli.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Eli. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on Eli

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Eli

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

A Guide to Using Semicolons

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Is 'kryptonite' a real word?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Better Ways to Say 'This Sucks'

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is 'kryptonite' a real word?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All