"L" Word Origins

latency

Latin

From Latin latere, "to lie hidden", by way of latent.

lateness

Origin

From late plus the noun-forming suffix -ness.

latent

Latin

From Latin latēns, "lying hidden", from lateō ("to lie hidden").

later

Old English

From Old English lator, the comparative form of "late".

lateral

Latin

From Latin laterālis, "belonging to the side", from latus ("the side, flank").

laters

Origin

From "later" (as in "see you later") plus an informal -s ending, similar to "bye-byes".

latest

Old English

From Old English latost, the superlative of "late". A doublet of "last".

latex

New Latin

From New Latin latex, itself from an earlier Latin word for "liquid" or "fluid".

lath

Origin

From Middle English laththe, laþþe, earlier lathe, laþe, altered from Old English lætt (“lath”), from Proto-West Germanic *lattu, from Proto-Germanic *laþô (compare Dutch lat, German Latte) from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lat- (compare Welsh llath (“rod, wand, yard”)).

Latham

Old Norse

Habitational surname from any of various places in northern England, from the dative plural form of Old Norse hlaða (“storehouse, barn”).

lathe

Old English

Ultimately from Old English laþian ("to invite, summon"); the "turning machine" sense developed later and its exact link to the older word is debated.

lather

Old English

From Old English lēaþor, a word for a soap-like substance used in washing.

Latif

Arabic

From Arabic لَطِيف (laṭīf).

latimer

Latin

From Old French latimier ("interpreter"), ultimately from Latin lingua Latina ("the Latin language").

Latin

Latin

From Latin Latīnus, "of Latium", the region of Italy where Rome was founded.

Latina

Latin

From Spanish latina, the feminine form corresponding to Latino.

Latino

Latin · 1960

Shortened from Spanish latinoamericano ("Latin American"), first common in American English in the 1960s.

latitat

Origin

Latin, meaning "he lies hidden", from latito.

latitude

Latin

From Latin lātitūdō ("breadth, width"), from lātus ("broad, wide").

Latour

French

From French Latour.

latrant

Origin

From Latin lātrans (“barking, ranting”), present participle of lātrāre (“to bark, to rant”). Equivalent to latrate + -ant.

latrate

Origin

First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin lātrātus, perfect passive participle of lātrō (“to bark”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare Spanish ladrar (“to bark”). Originally seemingly attested as a ghost word.

latria

Origin

From Late Latin, from Ancient Greek λατρεία (latreía, “service,” “worship”), from λατρευειν (latreuein, “wait on,” “serve with prayer”).

latrine

Latin

From Latin lātrīna, a shortened form of lavātrīna ("washing place"), related to lavāre ("to wash").

latron

Origin

From Latin latrō (“mercenary, brigand”). Doublet of ladrone.

lats

Origin

A shortened form of latissimus dorsi.

latte

Italian

Shortened from Italian caffè latte, literally "milk coffee".

latter

Old English

From Old English lætra, the comparative of læt ("late").

lattermath

Origin

From latter (from Old English lætra, comparative form of læt (“late”)) + math (dialectal, from Old English mæþ (“mowing”), from the Proto-Germanic *mēþą).

lattice

Old French

From Old French latis, from latte ("a lath, thin strip of wood").

latticework

Origin

From lattice + -work.

Latvia

Origin

From the Latvian name Latvija, the country's own name for itself.

Latvian

Origin

From Latvia plus the suffix -n.

lau

Chinese

As a surname, a romanization of a Chinese family name written 劉/刘, shared with the alternate spelling Luu.

laud

Origin

Inherited from Middle English lauden, from Old French lauder, from Latin laudō, laudāre, from laus (“praise, glory, fame, renown”), from echoic Proto-Indo-European root *leh₁wdʰ- (“song, sound”). Cognate with Old English lēoþ (“song, poem”), German Lied (“song”). Doublet of leed.

laudable

Latin

From Latin laudabilis, from laudare, meaning to praise.

laudanum

New Latin

From New Latin laudanum, ultimately from the Greek word for a fragrant resin; the spelling may also have been shaped by Latin laudo, "I praise."

laudation

Origin

Borrowed from Latin laudatio; compare Old English taudation. See laud.

laudatory

Origin

Borrowed from Latin laudatōrius: compare Old French laudatoire.

Laude

French

Borrowed from French Laude, but also from Tagalog Laude.

lauder

Origin

From laud ("to praise") plus the agent suffix -er.

laudits

Origin

From Latin laudite, second-person plural imperative of laudere (“to praise”).

laugh

Old English

From Old English hliehhan/hlæhhan, of Germanic origin, imitating the sound of laughter itself.

laughable

Origin

From laugh plus the suffix -able.

laugher

Origin

From Middle English lawȝar, lawher(e); equivalent to laugh + -er.

laughing

Middle English

From Middle English laughynge, the -ing form of laugh.

laughter

Old English

From Old English hleahtor, related to Old High German hlahtar, all imitating the sound of laughing.

laughworthy

Origin

From laugh + -worthy.