Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Lofty” come from?

Lofty comes from Middle English lofte, from Old English loft, from Old Norse lopt, from Proto-Germanic luftuz, from Proto-Indo-European lewp- and lew-.

Ancestry of “Lofty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlofty—
2Middle Englishlofteair, sky, upper region, loft; of high rank;...
3Old Englishloft—
4Old Norseloptattic; air, heaven
5Proto-Germanicluftuzroof; roof of the earth, firmament; heavens, sky;...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlewp-peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlew-dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lew- →