liege

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*lētaz“freeman; bondsman, serf”
2. Gothic · derived from*𐌻𐌴𐍄𐍃
3. Latin · derived fromlaetus“a semi-free colonist”
4. Late Latin · derived fromlaeticus“of or relating to a semifree colonist in Gaul”
5. Proto-Germanic · derived from*liþugaz“flexible, free, unoccupied”
6. Middle High German · derived fromledic
7. Old French · derived fromliege“liege, free”
8. Anglo-Norman · derived fromlige
9. Middle English · inherited fromliege
10. English todayliege

From Middle English liege, lege, lige, from Anglo-Norman lige, from Old French liege (“liege, free”), from Middle High German ledic, ledec (“free, empty, vacant”) (Modern German ledig (“unmarried”)) from Proto-Germanic *liþugaz (“flexible, free, unoccupied”). Akin to Old Frisian leþeg, leþoch (“free”), Old English liþiġ (“flexible”), Old Norse liðugr (“free, unhindered”), Old Saxon lethig (“idle”), Low German leddig (“empty”), Middle Dutch ledich (“idle, unemployed”) (Dutch ledig (“empty”) and leeg (“empty”)), Middle English lethi (“unoccupied, at leisure”). An alternate etymology traces the Old French word to Late Latin laeticus (“of or relating to a semifree colonist in Gaul”), from Latin laetus (“a semi-free colonist”), from Gothic *𐌻𐌴𐍄𐍃 (*lēts) (attested in derivatives such as 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌻𐌴𐍄𐍃 (fralēts)), from Proto-Germanic *lētaz (“freeman; bondsman, serf”), from *lētaną (“to let; free; release”).

Words from the same roots