lewd

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromλαϊκός
2. Late Latin · derived fromlāicus“of the people”
3. Vulgar Latin · derived from*laigo-
4. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*lēw-“to leave”
5. Proto-Germanic · derived from*lēwijaną“to betray”
6. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*lāwijan
7. Old English · derived fromlǣwan“to reveal, betray”
8. Old English · inherited fromlǣwede“unlearned, ignorant, lay”
9. Middle English · inherited fromlewed
10. English todaylewd

From Middle English lewed, lewd, leued (“unlearned, lay, lascivious”), from Old English lǣwede (“unlearned, ignorant, lay”), of uncertain origin. Formally similar to a derivative of the past participle of Old English lǣwan (“to reveal, betray”) in the sense of "exposed as being unlearned" or "easily betrayed, clueless", from Proto-West Germanic *lāwijan, from Proto-Germanic *lēwijaną (“to betray”), from *lēwą (“an opportunity, cause”), from Proto-Indo-European *lēw- (“to leave”). If so, then cognate with Old High German gilāen, firlāen (“to betray”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌴𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galēwjan, “to give over, betray”), Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐍅 (lēw, “an opportunity, cause”). Or, according to the OED, probably from Vulgar Latin *laigo-, from Late Latin lāicus (“of the people”), from Ancient Greek λαϊκός (laïkós). The noun is by analogy with nude.

Words from the same roots