lake

lake · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*leg-
2. Proto-Germanic*lekanądeverb.
3. Proto-Germanic*lakō
4. Proto-West Germanic*laku
5. Old Englishlacu
6. Middle Englishlake
7. Proto-Indo-European*lókus
8. Proto-Italic*lakus
9. Latinlacuslbor.?
10. Old Frenchlac
11. Middle Englishlac
12. English todaylake

Arose from a conflation of * Middle English lake (“small stream of running water, pool, lake”), from Old English lacu (“stream, pool, pond, lake”), from Proto-West Germanic *laku, from Proto-Germanic *lakō (“stream, pool, body of water", originally "a place where water runs off and collects”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leg- (“to leak, drain”); with * Middle English lac (“lake”), from Old French lac (“lake, ditch, pit”), a borrowed term, likely from Latin lacus (“lake, tub, vat”) (see Old French lac for more). The first element is related to Dutch laak (“stream, drainage ditch, pond”), German Low German Lake, Laak (“drainage, marshland”), German Lache (“puddle, pool”), Norwegian løk (“a deep, slow-moving stream; a widening in a stream or river”), Faroese løkur (“small brook”) and lækja (“water hole, well, watershoot in a brook”), Icelandic lækur (“stream”). Despite their similarity in form and meaning, Old English lacu is not related to English lay (“lake”), Latin lacus (“hollow, lake, pond”), Scottish Gaelic loch (“lake”), Ancient Greek λάκκος (lákkos, “waterhole, tank, pond, pit”), all from Proto-Indo-European *lókus, *l̥kwés (“lake, pool”).

lake · noun, verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*leyg-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*laikaną
3. Old English · inherited fromlacan
4. Middle English · inherited fromlaken
5. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*leyg-“to bounce, shake, tremble”
6. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*laikaz“game, dance, hymn, sport”
7. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*laik
8. Old English · inherited fromlāc“play, sport, strife, battle, sacrifice, offering, gift, present, booty, message”
9. Northern Middle English · inherited fromlake
10. English todaylake

From Northern Middle English lake, lak, lac (also laik, layke; Southern loke), from Old English lāc (“play, sport, strife, battle, sacrifice, offering, gift, present, booty, message”), from Proto-West Germanic *laik, from Proto-Germanic *laikaz (“game, dance, hymn, sport”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to bounce, shake, tremble”). Cognate with Old High German leih (“song, melody, music”), Old Norse leikr (whence Danish leg (“game”), Swedish leka (“to play”)), and Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌺𐍃 (laiks, “dance”). Doublet of lek. Verb form partly from Middle English laken, from Old English lacan, from Proto-Germanic *laikaną, from Proto-Indo-European *leyg-. More at lay, -lock.

lake · noun³

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*lakaną“linen; cloth; sheet”
2. Middle Dutch · derived fromlaken
3. Old English · inherited from*lacen
4. Middle English · inherited fromlake
5. English todaylake

From Middle English lake, from Old English *lacen or Middle Dutch laken; both from Proto-Germanic *lakaną (“linen; cloth; sheet”). Cognate with Dutch lake (“linen”), Dutch laken (“linen; bedsheet”), German Laken, Danish lagan, Swedish lakan, Icelandic lak, lakan.

lake · noun, verb⁴

1. Sanskrit · derived fromलाक्षा
2. Hindi · derived fromलाख
3. Persian · derived fromلاک
4. French · derived fromlaque“lacquer”
5. English todaylake

From French laque (“lacquer”), from Persian لاک (lâk), from Hindi लाख (lākh), from Sanskrit लाक्षा (lākṣā). Doublet of lac and lacquer.

Lake · proper noun⁵

Derived from the noun lake.

Words from the same roots