Where does “laity” come from?
Laity comes from Old French laite, from Latin laitas, from Ancient Greek λαός, from Proto-Hellenic lāwós, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂wos, ultimately from the root leh₂-.
laity (English): People of a church who are not ordained clergy or...
Definitions
- People of a church who are not ordained clergy or...
Ancestry of “laity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | laite | — |
| 2 | Latin | laitas | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | Λαός | — |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |
Words derived from “laity”