leister

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*lew-s-“to loosen (by knocking)”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*leustaną“to hit, strike”
3. Old Norse · derived fromljóstr“leister”
4. Middle English · inherited from*lēster
5. English todayleister

From earlier leyster, lister, perhaps via Middle English *lēster, *līster, from Old Norse ljóstr (“leister”), from ljósta (“to smite, strike; to hit, strike (with an arrow or spear)”), from Proto-Germanic *leustaną (“to hit, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *lew-s- (“to loosen (by knocking)”); the word is cognate with Danish lyster (“fish spear, gig, leister”), Icelandic ljósta (“to hit, strike”), Norwegian Bokmål lyster (dialectal Norwegian lioster), Swedish ljuster.

First known use, by meaning

• from 16th c. A spear armed with three or more barbed prongs for catching fish, particularly salmon.