"L" Word Origins

lineman

Origin

Formed from line plus -man, originally describing someone who works on telegraph and power lines.

linen

Old English

From Old English linen ("made of flax"), from a Germanic root tied to flax, the plant linen is woven from — the same root gives us the word line.

liner

Origin

From line plus the agent suffix -er — originally "something that lines," later extended to ships that run a fixed line/route.

linesman

Origin

From line + -s- + -man.

lineup

Origin

A noun formed from the phrasal verb line up.

ling

Middle English

From Middle English lenge, of Germanic origin and possibly related to "long," describing the fish's slender shape.

lingam

Sanskrit

A learned borrowing from Sanskrit linga ("sign, mark").

linger

Old English

From Old English lengan ("to lengthen, prolong"), related to the word long — to linger is, at root, to make a stay "longer."

lingerie

Latin

From French lingerie, "linen goods," ultimately from Latin linum ("flax"). English speakers usually say it with a nasal "-ahn-zhay" ending, mimicking French even though the pronunciation doesn't quite match the original.

lingo

Latin

From Latin lingua, "tongue" or "language," with a casual -o ending tacked on.

linguist

Latin

From Latin lingua ("language") plus the suffix -ist.

linguistic

Latin · 1800

Borrowed from German linguistisch, built from linguist plus -ic, and ultimately from Latin lingua ("tongue, language"). In use in English since the early 1800s.

linguistics

German · 1800

Coined from linguist plus -ics, modeled on the German Linguistik, in the mid-1800s.

link

Old English

From Middle English linke, going back to Old English and Old Norse words for a ring or chain loop, from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "bendable."

linkage

Origin

From link plus the suffix -age.

linker

Origin

From link + -er

links

Old English

From Scots links, "sandy, rolling ground near the seashore," from Old English hlincas ("hills, rising ground").

linn

Old English

From Old English hlynn, "torrent," via Middle English.

linoleum

Latin · 1864

From Latin linum ("flax") plus oleum ("oil"). Coined around 1864 by English inventor Frederick Walton, whose trade name became so common it turned into an ordinary word for the product.

lint

Latin

From Middle English linet, ultimately traced to Old French linette ("flax grain") or Latin linteum ("linen cloth").

lintel

Origin

From Middle English lyntel, from Old French lintel, from Vulgar Latin *līntellus, for *līmitellus, diminutive noun from līmes. Equivalent to limit + -el.

Linton

Old English

From Old English elements meaning either "flax enclosure" or "lime-tree enclosure," combined with tūn ("settlement, town").

Linus

Ancient Greek

From Latin Linus, itself from Ancient Greek Λῖνος (Lînos), a name of uncertain original meaning.

Linux

Origin

A blend of "Linus" (its creator, Linus Torvalds) and "Unix," the earlier operating system family it was inspired by.

Linz

Origin

From the Roman-era name Lentia.

lion

Latin

From Old French lion, from Latin leo, from Greek leōn, of unclear ultimate origin. It replaced the native Old English word leo.

lionback

Origin

From lion + back, modelled on horseback.

Lionel

Latin

A Middle English diminutive of French Léon, Latin Leo (“lion”), or of the Middle English nickname Lion + -el (diminutive suffix).

lioness

Old French

From Old French lionesse, formed from lion plus the feminine suffix -ess.

lionheart

Origin

From lion plus heart, echoing the nickname of Richard I of England, "Richard the Lionheart."

lionhearted

Origin

From lion + hearted.

lip

Old English

From Old English lippa, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to hang loosely or droop."

liposuction

Greek

From Greek lipos ("fat") plus suction.

lippy

Origin

From lip plus the adjective-forming suffix -y.

lipstick

Origin

A straightforward compound of lip and stick.

Lipton

Origin

The surname is from the place name.

liquefy

Origin

From Middle English liquefien, from Anglo-Norman liquefier, from Latin liquefacere.

liqueur

Latin

Borrowed directly from French liqueur; a doublet of liquor, meaning they both trace back to the same Latin root but entered English at different times.

liquid

Latin

From Latin liquidus ("fluid, clear"), from liquere ("to be fluid").

liquidate

Late Latin

From Late Latin liquidatus ("made clear, liquid") plus the verb-forming suffix -ate. The "kill" sense entered English as a borrowed meaning from Russian likvidirovat.

liquidation

Origin

From liquidate plus the noun-forming suffix -ion.

liquidator

Origin

From liquidate + -or.

liquidiser

Origin

From liquidise + -er.

liquidity

Latin

From liquid plus the noun suffix -ity, from Latin liquiditas.

liquidness

Origin

From liquid + -ness.

liquor

Latin

From Latin liquor ("fluid, liquid"), from liquere ("to be liquid"). A doublet of liqueur.

liquorice

Origin

Altered spelling of licorice, influenced by association with the word liquor.

liquory

Origin

From liquor + -y.