Standard Lemma guide

Enchelei

noun · 1 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An ancient Illyrian tribe inhabiting Enchele.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Ἐγχέλιοι (Enkhélioi), from ἔγχελυς (énkhelus, “eel”). Possibly from the Illyrian cognate of the word, itself closely related to Albanian ngjalë (“eel”). This is made further plausible by the word being found with a -γγ- (-ng-) in place of -γχ- (-nkh-) in Mnaseas. The demonym can be traced back to mythology, where Cadmus, become king of this people, turns into a serpent.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Ancient Greek: Ἐγχέλιοι (Enkhélioi) — Illyrian tribe
  • Ancient Greek: Ἐγχελεῖς (Enkheleîs) — Illyrian tribe
  • Ancient Greek: Εγχελάνες (Enkhelánes) — Illyrian tribe
  • Italian: Enchelei — Illyrian tribe
  • Latin: Encheleae — Illyrian tribe