What does eleven mean?
Eleven is the cardinal number following ten and preceding twelve, written as 11 in Arabic numerals and XI in Roman numerals. It is used to count quantities ('eleven players on the field'), tell time ('eleven o'clock'), and express age, dates, and scores. Beyond pure counting, eleven carries several established uses: in British sport it denotes a team of eleven players, as in cricket or football, while phrases like 'at the eleventh hour' convey urgency at the last possible moment. Linguistically distinctive among small English numerals, eleven does not follow the regular '-teen' pattern shared by thirteen through nineteen; its Old English ancestor meant literally 'one left over' after counting ten. This irregularity makes it one of the most memorable of the basic number words, familiar from childhood counting rhymes onward.
The number equivalent to the sum of six and five; one more than ten.
"There are eleven players on a football team."
Also used adverbially/determinatively before nouns ('eleven years').
A team of eleven players, especially in cricket or football.
"The captain named his eleven for Saturday's match."
Rare; used mainly in informal reference to portions of food eaten mid-morning (British 'elevenses') or to multiple teams of eleven.
"Both elevens lined up before kickoff."
Eleven is the first number whose English name breaks the 'X-teen' pattern — it comes from Old English endleofan, literally 'one left' over ten.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eleven
Eleven derives from Old English endleofan, from Proto-Germanic *ainalif-, meaning 'one left', i.e., one remaining after ten has been counted. It is cognate with German elf and Dutch elf, which share the same underlying construction. The related numeral twelve follows an identical pattern, meaning 'two left'.
How eleven is actually used
As a numeral word, 'eleven' functions as a noun and attributively as a determiner/adjective ('eleven players'). The sports sense is common in British English, particularly cricket.
Easily confused with eleven
Twelve is one more than eleven; the two are often confused in rapid speech or when reading numbers aloud.