Where does “Look” come from?
Look derives from Middle English loken, from Old English lōcian, of uncertain origin.
Look (English): To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes
Definitions
- To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes
Ancestry of “Look”, step by step
Look traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Luke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Luke | a given name |
| 2 | Latin | Lūcās | Luke the Evangelist |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Λουκᾶς | man from Lucania |
| 4 | Latin | Lucius | a fish, probably the pike |
| 5 | Latin | lux | light; daylight, day, moonlight; life |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | louks | light |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |
via Middle English loken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | loken | to look |
| 2 | Old English | lōcian | to look, see; to see, behold, look, gaze,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | lōkōn | to look, see |
via Cantonese 陸
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cantonese | 陸 | a surname |