Where does “leek” come from?
leek (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch lāke, from Old Dutch *laca, from Proto-West Germanic laku, from Finnish lakritsi, from Swedish lakrits, from Late Latin liquiritia, from Ancient Greek γλυκύρριζα, from Ancient Greek γλυκύς.
leek (Dutch): layman, non-clergyman; layman, non-expert,...
Definitions
- layman, non-clergyman; layman, non-expert,...
Ancestry of “leek”, step by step
leek traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle Dutch lāke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | lāke | — |
| 2 | Old Dutch | *laca | — |
| 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 | — |
via Middle Dutch leec
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | leec | singing; playing, game |
| 2 | Latin | lāicus | lay (of the laity) |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | λαϊκός | of the people; popular |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | λᾱός | people; men; the people |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | people, crowd |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |