English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
Login Flashcards

"L" Word Origins

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

“L” Word Origins

livable
Origin
Simply live + the suffix -able, "capable of being."
live
Old English
From Old English libban/lifian, "to live, be alive," a very old Germanic word related to leben in German and leven in Dutch.
livelihood
Old English
From Old English līflād, literally "course of life," later reshaped under the influence of the word "lively."
lively
Old English
From Old English līflīċ, "living, vital," built from life + -ly.
liven
Origin
From live/life + the suffix -en, "to make"; often felt as a shortened form of enliven.
liver
Old English
From Old English lifer, an old Germanic word for the organ, related to German Leber.
Liverpool
Old English
From Old English, likely "thick/muddy pool," combining an old word related to "liver" (thick, clotted) with pōl, "pool."
Livers
Dutch
Variant of Dutch Lievers.
liverwort
Origin
From Middle English lyverwort, liverwort, from Old English liferwyrt, equivalent to liver + wort, from the belief that some species looked like livers and were useful for treating the liver medicinally.
liverwurst
German
A partial translation of German Leberwurst, "liver sausage."
livery
Old French
From Old French livree, originally referring to clothing or provisions "delivered" to servants.
liveryman
Origin
From livery + -man.
livesome
Origin
From live + -some. Compare lifesome.
livestock
Origin
A compound of live + stock, "stock" here meaning goods or property kept on a farm.
liveware
Origin
From live + -ware (after software, hardware).
Livia
Latin
From Latin Līvia, feminine form of Līvius, name of a Roman gens.
livid
Latin
From Latin lividus, "bluish, envious," from līveō, "to be bluish" — the anger sense developed from the idea of turning pale or discoloured with rage.
lividity
Latin
From Latin lividitas, from lividus, "livid" — see livid.
lividness
Origin
From livid + -ness, originally after Medieval Latin līviditās.
livin
Origin
Formed from "live" plus the biochemical suffix "-in" (used for naming proteins), reflecting its role in keeping cells alive.
living
Origin
From live + the suffix -ing.
Livingston
Middle English
Inherited from Middle English [Term?], from Old English [Term?]. Doublet of Livingstone. Cognate with Scots Leivinstoun.
Livvy
Origin
Aphetic form of Olivia + -y.
lizard
Latin
From Old French lesard, ultimately from Latin lacertus.
lizardman
Origin
From lizard + man.
Lizzie
Origin
From Liz + -ie.
ll
Origin
Formed by doubling the letter "l" (for "line"), on the model of "pp." for "pages."
llama
Spanish
Borrowed from Spanish llama, itself from Quechua.
llamaback
Origin
From llama + back, after horseback.
llanero
Origin
Borrowed from Spanish llanero, from llano.
llap
Origin
From Albanian Llap.
Llewellyn
Welsh
From Welsh Llywelyn.
llewelyn
Origin
From Welsh Llywelyn.
LLL
Origin
Abbreviation of La Leche League.
Lloyd
Welsh
From Welsh llwyd ("grey, grey-haired").
LLY
English
An initialism of love you lots.
LMAO
English
An initialism of an informal phrase meaning "laughing extremely hard"; the middle letters stand for a mildly crude word.
LMK
English
An initialism of "let me know".
LML
English
An initialism of love my life.
LMR
English
An initialism; the social-media sense stands for like my recent, the dating sense for last-minute resistance.
LMS
English
An initialism, expanded differently in each sense: like my status, learning management system, or least mean squares.
lo
Old English
From Old English lā, an exclamation of surprise or emotion, later linked with "look."
lo and behold
Old English
Lo is an old interjection meaning look, from Old English la, and behold is the verb meaning to look at. The pair is a doubled command to look, preserved as a set phrase long after lo dropped out of ordinary speech.
LOA
English
An initialism; the senses expand to "leave of absence", "length overall" and "letter of authority" respectively.
load
Old English
Originally from Old English lād, "way, course, journey" — the "burden" meaning branched off in Middle English by association with the unrelated verb "lade."
load shedding
English
A compound of load, meaning the demand on a supply system, and shedding, meaning getting rid of part of it.
loaded
Origin
From load + the suffix -ed.
Loader
Origin
From load + -er.