Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ladykilling” come from?

ladykilling (English) comes from English lady, from Middle English lady, from Old English hlǣfdīġe, from Old English hlāf, from Proto-West Germanic hlaib, from Proto-Germanic hlaibaz — bread.

ladykilling (English): Womanizing, like a lady-killer

Definitions

  1. Womanizing, like a lady-killer

Ancestry of “ladykilling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishladyThe mistress of a household; A woman of breeding...
2Middle Englishladylady
3Old Englishhlǣfdīġebread-kneader; mistress of a household, wife of a...
4Old Englishhlāfbread, loaf; bread, loaf, morsel; loaf, cake,...
5Proto-West Germanichlaibbread, loaf
6Proto-Germanichlaibazbread
Every word from Proto-Germanic hlaibaz →