Elftal

== German == === Etymology === Borrowed from Dutch elftal n (“group of eleven”, hence “football team”). Cognate with German elf (“eleven”) and Zahl (“number”) respectively. The latter word probably also triggered the feminine gender in German. Dutch media commonly call their team het Nederlands elftal, but not usually het elftal on its own. This is similar to German die Mannschaft, which is used as a nickname for the German team in some countries (including the Netherlands). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɛlfˌta(ː)l/ === Proper noun === die Elftal f (proper noun, usually definite, definite genitive der Elftal) (soccer, chiefly media slang) the Dutch national football (soccer) team