Where does “lak” come from?
lak (Dutch) comes from French laqué, from Middle French lache, from Omani Arabic لك, from Persian لاک, from Urdu لاکھ, from Maharastri Prakrit 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔, from Sanskrit लक्ष, from Sanskrit लक्ष् — to protect.
lak (Dutch): lacquer; foolery, foolishness, nonsense;...
Definitions
- lacquer; foolery, foolishness, nonsense;...
Ancestry of “lak”, step by step
lak traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French laqué
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | laqué | past participle of laquer; glazed |
| 2 | Middle French | lache | — |
| 3 | Omani Arabic | لك | — |
| 4 | Persian | لاک | trough, wooden vessel |
| 5 | Urdu | لاکھ | lakh, lac |
| 6 | Maharastri Prakrit | 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔 | — |
| 7 | Sanskrit | लक्ष | a mark, sign, token; a mark to aim at, target,... |
| 8 | Sanskrit | लक्ष् | perceive, observe; recognise; to mark, sign |
| 9 | Sanskrit | रक्ष् | to protect, guard, watch, take care of, save,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | Hrakṣ- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | Hrakš- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂lek- | to protect |
via Middle Dutch lac
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | lac | deficiency |
| 2 | Old Dutch | laka | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | laku | stream; pool, lake |
| 4 | Finnish | lakritsi | licorice, liquorice |
| 5 | Swedish | lakrits | licorice/liquorice |
| 6 | Late Latin | liquiritia | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | γλυκύρριζα | licorice |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | γλυκύς | sweet |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | *dlukús | — |