Where does “Lake” come from?
Lake (English) 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.
Ancestry of “Lake”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | laqué | past participle of laquer; glazed |
| 2 | Middle French | lache | — |
| 3 | Omani Arabic | لك | — |
| 4 | Persian | لاک | — |
| 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 |