loft

loft · noun, verb, adjective¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*luftuz“air, sky”
2. Old Norse · derived fromlopt“upper chamber, attic, region of sky, air”
3. Old English · inherited fromloft
4. Middle English · inherited fromlofte“air, sky, upper region, loft”
5. English todayloft

From Middle English lofte (“air, sky, upper region, loft”), from Old English loft, (doublet of native Old English lyft) of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse lopt (“upper chamber, attic, region of sky, air”), from Proto-Germanic *luftuz (“air, sky”). Akin to Scots lift (“air; sky; firmament”), Dutch lucht (“air”), German Luft (“air”), Old English lyft (“air”). Doublet of lift and luft. Related to aloft. Cognate with Scots loft, laft (“loft”), Irish lochta (“loft”).

Loft · proper noun²

1. Danish · borrowed fromLoft
2. Middle English · derived fromlofte“loft, attic”
3. English todayLoft

Two main origins: * From Middle English lofte (“loft, attic”), possibly a surname given to a household servant who worked in an upper chamber; see the noun loft. * Borrowed from Danish Loft, a habitational surname.

Words from the same roots