delay

delay · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*leyp-“to remain, continue”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*laibijaną“to leave, cause to stay”
3. Frankish · derived from*laibijan
4. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*leh₁d-“to leave, leave behind”
5. Proto-Germanic · derived from*latjaną“to delay, hinder, stall”
6. Frankish · derived from*lattjan
7. Old French · derived fromlaier“to leave”
8. Anglo-Norman · derived fromdelaier
9. Middle English · inherited fromdelaien
10. English todaydelay

From Middle English delaien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman delaier, Old French deslaier, from des- + Old French laier (“to leave”), a conflation of Old Frankish *lattjan ("to delay, hinder"; from Proto-Germanic *latjaną (“to delay, hinder, stall”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to leave, leave behind”)), and Old Frankish *laibijan ("to leave"; from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to leave, cause to stay”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to remain, continue”)). Doublet of dally. Akin to Old English latian (“to delay, hesitate”), Old English latu (“a delay, a hindrance”), Old English lǣfan (“to leave”). More at let (to hinder), late, leave.

delay · verb²

1. Old French · derived fromdelaiier
2. Middle English · inherited fromdelaien
3. English todaydelay

From Middle English delaien, from Old French delaiier, a variant of delaissier.

Words from the same roots