Standard Lemma guide

Eloi

name · noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈiːlɔɪ/

1

name

Meaning 1

A male given name.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A group of people who have been domesticated or intentionally dumbed down.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From French Éloi, from Medieval Latin Eligius, chiefly after Saint Eligius, from Latin ēligere (“to pick, to choose from”) + -ius (“-y: forming adjectives and names”).

Coined by British science fiction author H. G. Wells in 1895 as a fictional species in The Time Machine.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: Eloi — Translations
  • French: Éloi — Translations
  • Latin: Eligius — Translations
  • Spanish: Eloy — Translations