Where does “aloof” come from?
Aloof comes from Middle English loof, from Middle English lof, from Middle Dutch loef, from Proto-Germanic lubą, from Proto-Indo-European lāp-.
aloof (English): At or from a distance, but within view, or at a...
Definitions
- At or from a distance, but within view, or at a...
Ancestry of “aloof”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | loof | Alternative form of lof; weather gage, windward... |
| 2 | Dutch | loof | foliage |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | lôof | leaf |
| 4 | Old Dutch | lōf | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | laub | leaf; foliage |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | laubą | leaf |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewp- | peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lew- | dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to... |