Etymology

lain

L1A1I1N1

Today it means: To conceal, keep quiet about. Full definition →

First used 14th–19th c.Middle English lainen ← Old Norse leyna ← Old English līeġnan
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

lain · verb1

Inflected forms.

lain · verb2

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*laugnō“secrecy”
  2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*laugnijaną
  3. Old English · inherited fromlīeġnan“to deny; conceal”
  4. Old Norse · derived fromleyna“to conceal”
  5. Middle English · inherited fromlainen
  6. English todaylain

From Middle English lainen, leynen, from Old Norse leyna (“to conceal”) and Old English līeġnan (“to deny; conceal”); both from Proto-Germanic *laugnijaną, from Proto-Germanic *laugnō (“secrecy”).

First known use, by meaning

  • 14th–19th c. To conceal, keep quiet about.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.