"Elf" etymology and Albus Dumbledore, 'wandless' magic

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 160651

Carol earlier:
> > Might the Dumbledore brothers have a distant house-elf
> > ancestor, which might account for Albus Dumbledore's
> > ability to do wandless magic?
> 
> 
> Karin:
> Harry performed wandless magic before he knew he was a
> wizard.
> 
> Animagi and metamorphmagi perform their transfigurations
> without wands, too.
<snip>
>
Carol responds:

Hi, Karin. Pleased to meet you, too. 

I'm not talking about standard wandless magic like Legilimency,
Occlumency, and Apparation, which Snape and others can also do (though
I also recall Snape in PoA snapping his fingers to make the ends of
Lupin's ropes come to him, and I don't think he has a house-elf
ancestor!). Nor am I talking about accidental magic of the type that
child!Harry did when he was angry. (Snape's jar of cockroaches may be
another example of this type of accidental magic. He was certainly
angry at the time.) 

I'm talking about Dumbledore clapping his hands to change the House
decorations, his ability to be invisible without an Invisibility
Cloak, and so on. He seems to be able to do magic (including summoning
Fawkes) without his wand (unless he's weak and helpless from drinking
whatever was in that Pensievelike bowl in the cave). That ability and
the connection of "Albus" and "aelf" in the etymology of "elf" make me
wonder if he may have a house-elf ancestor somewhere along the line.
He is also more powerful than anyone, even the brilliant and powerful
Snape, including Voldemort himself.

Maybe it's just great intelligence and natural power like, say,
Snape's or Barty Crouch Sr.'s, combined with many years of study and
the wisdom and experience acquired through 150-odd years of living in
the WW. Or maybe it's something more. JKR says we should be looking at
DD's family, and I think that means his ancestors as well as his brother.

Carol, not arguing that the Dumbledores are part house-elf, just
tossing the idea into the arena for discussion