Where does “lav” come from?

lav (Danish) comes from Norwegian lav, from Old Norse lafa, from Proto-Germanic labēn-, from Proto-Indo-European leb- — to hang down loosely; lip; lick.

lav (Danish): low; guild; lichen

Definitions

  1. low; guild; lichen

Ancestry of “lav”, step by step

lav traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian lav

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegianlav—
2Old Norselafato dangle; hang loosely, dangle
3Proto-Germaniclabēn-to dangle
4Proto-Indo-Europeanleb-to hang down loosely; lip; lick

via Old Norse lág

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norselága felled tree; log; lying tree
2Old Norseleggjato lay, place, put; to make, build
3Proto-Germaniclagjanąto lay, to place in a resting position
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlegʰ-to lie

Words derived from “lav”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leb- →Every word from Proto-Germanic labēn- →Every word from Old Norse lafa →