Eldritch Definition

Origin of Eldritch

• From Middle English eldrich, from earlier elrich, equivalent to Old English el- (“foreign, strange, uncanny”) (see else) + rīċe (“realm, kingdom”) (see rich); hence “of a strange country, pertaining to the Otherworld”; compare Old English ellende "in a foreign land, exiled" (compare German Elend "penury, distress" and Dutch ellende "misery"), Runic Norse alja-markir "foreigner".

  From Wiktionary

• Perhaps Middle English elriche Old English el- strange, other al-¹ in Indo-European roots Old English rīce realm reg- in Indo-European roots

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition