Where does “footloose” come from?
Footloose comes from Middle English fot combined with Old Norse lauss, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European pṓds meaning foot.
footloose (English): Tending to travel or do as one pleases; readily...
Definitions
- Tending to travel or do as one pleases; readily...
Ancestry of “footloose”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | loose | To let loose, to free from restraints; To... |
| 2 | English | lose | To cause to cease to be in one's possession or... |
| 3 | German | Nikolaus | a representation of St. Nicholas; the day of 6th... |
| 4 | Latin | Nīcolāus | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Νικόλαος | Nicolas |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | λᾱός | people; men; the people |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |
Words derived from “footloose”