Ell wide. Ell An ell (from Proto-Germanic *"alinō", cognate with Latin "ulna") is a unit of measurement, originally a cubit, i.e., approximating the length of a man's arm from the elbow ("" literally meant the bend ("bow") of the arm ("ell")) to the tip of the middle finger, or about 18 inches (457 mm); in later usage, any of several longer units. In English-speaking countries, these included (until the 19th century) the Flemish ell ( of a yard), English ell ( yards) and French ell ( yards), some of which are thought to derive from a "double ell". An ell-wand or
Ancient Greek units of measurement measures of length were named after parts of the body, such as the ("daktylos", plural: "daktyloi") or finger (having the size of a thumb), and the ("pous", plural: "podes") or foot (having the size of a shoe). The values of the units varied according to location and epoch (e.g., in Aegina a "pous" was approximately , whereas in Athens (Attica) it was about ), but the relative proportions were generally the same. The ordinary units used for land measurement were: Greeks measured volume according to either dry or liquid capacity, suited respectively to measuring grain and wine. A common unit