lift

lift · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*lewp-“to peel, break off, damage”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*luftijaną“to raise in the air”
3. Old Norse · derived fromlypta“to lift, air”
4. Middle English · inherited fromliften
5. English todaylift

From Middle English liften, lyften, from Old Norse lypta (“to lift, air”, literally “to raise in the air”), from Proto-Germanic *luftijaną (“to raise in the air”), related to *luftuz (“roof, air”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *lewp- (“to peel, break off, damage”) or from a root meaning roof (see *luftuz). Cognate with Danish and Norwegian Bokmål løfte (“to lift”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish lyfta (“to lift”), German lüften (“to air, lift”), Old English lyft (“air”). See above. 1851 for the noun sense "a mechanical device for vertical transport". (To steal): For this sense Cleasby suggests perhaps a relation to the root of Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌹𐍆𐍄𐌿𐍃 (hliftus) "thief", cognate with Latin cleptus and Greek κλέπτω (kléptō)). But perhaps simply from the idea of removing an item from a surface.

lift · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*lewp-“to peel, break off, damage”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*luftuz“roof, sky, air”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*luftu
4. Old English · inherited fromlyft“atmosphere, air”
5. Middle English · inherited fromlifte
6. English todaylift

From Middle English lifte, luft, lefte (“air, sky, heaven”), from Old English lyft (“atmosphere, air”), from Proto-West Germanic *luftu, from Proto-Germanic *luftuz (“roof, sky, air”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewp- (“to peel, break off, damage”). Cognate with Old High German luft (“air”) (German Luft), Dutch lucht (“air”), Old Norse lopt, loft (“upper room, sky, air”). Doublet of loft and luft.

Words from the same roots