Etymology

lang may yer lum reek

Today it means: Used to wish someone well, especially as a drinking toast or a farewell. Full definition →

Scots lang may yer
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Scots · borrowed fromlang may yer
  2. English todaylang may yer lum reek

PIE word *dlongʰos Borrowed from Scots lang may yer (or your) lum reek (expression of good wishes for one’s prosperity, literally “long may your chimney smoke”): from lang (“long”), lum (“chimney”), and reek (“of a chimney: to emit smoke”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.