"L" Word Origins

lee

Old English

From Old English hlēo, "shelter" or "protection" — related to Old Norse words for shelter from wind.

leech

Old English

From Old English lǣċe, "blood-sucking worm" — the same root gave Old English the word for "physician," since leeches were once a common medical treatment.

Leeds

Old English

* The large city in West Yorkshire is from Old English Loidis, from Latin *Lādenses, most likely based on an early river-name derived from Proto-Celtic *lāto (“rut, heat”) (cf. Welsh llawd (“heat, ardour”)). * The village in Kent is from Middle English Hledes, probably from a stream-name.

leek

Old English

From Old English lēac, "leek, onion, garlic" — a Germanic word shared with Dutch and German terms for similar vegetables.

leer

Origin

Uncertain, but likely from an old word meaning "cheek" or "profile" — the sense shifted from a body part to the sly, sideways glance itself.

leery

Origin · 1700

First recorded in the early 1700s, likely built from "leer" (a sly, sideways look) plus the adjective ending -y.

lees

Old French

From Old French lies, going back to a Gaulish word for silt or sediment — related distantly to the place names Loire and Leicester.

leetness

Origin

From leet + -ness.

leeway

Origin

Originally a sailing term: from lee ("the sheltered side away from the wind") plus way, describing how far a ship drifted sideways off course.

Lefebvre

French

From French Lefebvre.

left

Old English

From Old English left/lyft, originally meaning "weak" or "clumsy" — an old, negative association with the left side that survives in the word itself.

leftist

Origin

From left plus the suffix -ist, "one who follows or supports."

leftover

Origin

Formed from left ("remaining") plus over ("extra, in excess").

lefty

Origin

From left plus the informal suffix -y, making a casual nickname.

leg

Old English

From Old Norse leggr, "leg, bone, tube" — the word came into English with Viking settlers and gradually replaced the native Old English term.

legacy

Medieval Latin

From Old French legacie and Medieval Latin lēgātia, ultimately from Latin lēgātum, "something bequeathed."

legal

Latin

A learned borrowing from Latin lēgālis, from lēx, "law" — a doublet of "loyal," which came into English through French instead.

legalise

Origin

From legal + -ise. Piecewise doublet of loyalise.

legality

Origin

Formed from legal plus the noun suffix -ity.

legalize

Origin

From legal plus -ize, "to make."

legally

Origin

From legal plus the adverb suffix -ly.

legalness

Origin

From legal + -ness. Piecewise doublet of lealness and loyalness.

legate

Latin

From Latin lēgātus, "one sent as an envoy," from lēgō, "to send on a mission" or "to bequeath."

legatee

Origin

From legate + -ee.

legateship

Origin

From legate + -ship.

legation

Latin

From Latin lēgātiō, related to legate — the group or task assigned to an envoy.

lege

Origin

Clipping of legend.

legend

Latin

From Latin legenda, "things to be read," originally referring to accounts of saints' lives read aloud in church.

legendary

Medieval Latin

From legend plus the adjective suffix -ary, via Medieval Latin legendārius.

leger

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French legier, from Old French legier, apparently from Late Latin *leviārium, from levis (“light in weight”). See levity.

legerity

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French legerete, from Old French legierte, from legier + -te; by surface analysis, leger (“light”) + -ity. Compare levity.

legged

Origin

From leg plus the adjective-forming suffix -ed.

leggy

Origin

From leg plus the adjective suffix -y.

legible

Late Latin

From Late Latin legibilis, "able to be read," from Latin legō, "to read."

legion

Latin

From Old French legion, from Latin legio, "a gathering" or "a levied army" — related to legere, "to gather" (the same root gives us legend and lecture). The everyday sense of "a huge number" comes from the Bible, where a man possessed by many spirits says "my name is Legion, for we are many."

legionary

Origin

From legion + -ary. From Latin legiōnārius. Doublet of legionnaire.

legionnaire

French

Borrowed from French légionnaire, from légion, "legion".

legislation

Late Latin

From Late Latin legislatio, "the giving of law" — built from legislate plus the noun-forming suffix -ion.

legislative

Latin

From legislate plus the adjective-forming suffix -ive, ultimately from Latin legis lator, "proposer of a law".

legislator

Origin

From Latin lēgislātor.

legislature

Latin · 1670

From the stem of Latin legislator plus -ure, matching French législature; first recorded in English in the 1670s.

legit

Origin

A casual shortening of legitimate, common in spoken and online English.

legitimacy

Origin

From legitimate plus the noun-forming suffix -cy.

legitimate

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin legitimatus, "made lawful", from Latin legitimus ("lawful"), itself from lex, "law". It originally described children "lawfully begotten" — that is, born to a married couple.

legitimateness

Origin

From legitimate + -ness.

legitimize

Origin

From legitimate plus the verb-forming suffix -ize.

legitness

Origin

From legit + -ness.

legless

Origin

From leg plus -less, "without".