The Secret Stead is the pen name of a UK-based writer and
The word for today is "eleven".Eleven
[ih-lev-uhn]-noun
1. a cardinal number, ten plus one
2. a symbol for this number, as 11 or XI
3. a set of this many persons or things, as a football team
–adjective
4. amounting to eleven in number
The start of 2011 is a good opportunity to look at the literal meaning of the number eleven. Relevant sources explain the word comes from the Old English endleofan, meaning "one left" as in "one left over ten".
This literal sense is found in common parlance; for example "the eleventh hour" is used to describe doing something at the last possible moment. The everyday expression can be traced to a parable on salvation in the Bible (Matthew 20:1-16).
Staying on the theme of expressions, both the Spanish and English have terms utilising eleven for snacking before a midday lunch. In England the term "elevenses" is used, while "las onces" means "the elevens" in Spanish for regalement taken at eleven in the morning.
Combinations of 11
This year sees the once-in-a-century combination of 11:11 11/11/11 (also known as a palindrome date, which reads the same backwards and forwards), marking the passing of the eleventh minute on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year 2011.
Eleven as its number, and especially the combination 11:11, has caught the interest of those dealing in the numerology phenomenon, which is the belief that numbers are symbols to more than just measurements. Some believe that too many historical happenings have appeared on the pages of this particular calendar combination, for it to merely be a coincidence of the cosmic clock.
And if we take a look at the long list of occasions marked by numerologists citing its significance, this year's combination marks the official end of World War I in 1918, and the birth of Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio in 1974 - whichever one happens to be more important to you.
Published 8 January, 2011
