law

law · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*legʰ-
2. Proto-Germanic*lagą
3. Old Norselag
4. Old Norselǫg
5. Old Englishlagu
6. Middle Englishlawe
7. English todaylaw

From Middle English lawe, laȝe, from Old English lagu (“law”), borrowed from Old Norse lǫg (“law”, literally “things laid down or firmly established”), originally the plural of lag (“layer, stratum, a laying in order, measure, stroke”), from Proto-Germanic *lagą (“that which is laid down”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots law (“law”), Icelandic lög (“things laid down, law”), Faroese lóg (“law”), Norwegian lov (“law”), Swedish lag (“law”), Danish lov (“law”), Finnish laki (“law”). Compare typologically distant cognate Russian уложе́ние (uložénije). Displaced native Old English ǣ and ġesetnes. More at lay. Not related to legal, nor to French loi, Spanish ley, all of which ultimately derive from Latin lēx, from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to gather”).

law · noun²

1. Old English · inherited fromhlāw“burial mound”
2. Northern Middle English · inherited fromlawe
3. English todaylaw

From Northern Middle English lawe, from Old English hlāw (“burial mound”). Also spelled low. See also Scots law.

law · noun³

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*lagą“that which is laid”
2. Old Norse · derived fromlag“that which is lying or laid, position, price, way, sting, blow”
3. Middle English · inherited fromlagh
4. English todaylaw

From Middle English lagh, from Old Norse lag (“that which is lying or laid, position, price, way, sting, blow”), from Proto-Germanic *lagą (“that which is laid”). Cognate with Scots lauch (“one's tavern-reckoning or one's share of the cost, a score; a payment for drink or entertainment”), Middle English lai (“one's share of expenses, one's bill or account”).

law · interjection⁴

Compare la and Lawd.

Law · proper noun⁵

Clipping of Lawrence.

Law · proper noun⁶

1. Old English · derived fromhlaw“a hill or burial mound”
2. English todayLaw

From Old English hlaw (“a hill or burial mound”).

Law · proper noun⁷

A semantic loan of Greek νόμος (nómos, “law”), rendering Hebrew תּוֹרָה (tōrāh, “instruction, teaching”) in the sense of divine law.

Law · proper noun⁸

1. Cantonese · borrowed from羅 /罗
2. English todayLaw

From Cantonese 羅 /罗 (lo⁴). Doublet of Luo and Lo.

Words from the same roots