Where does “landlord” come from?
Landlord comes from Middle English landlord, from Old English landhlāford, literally meaning "land master" or "land lord."
landlord (English): A person who owns and rents land such as a house,...
Definitions
- A person who owns and rents land such as a house,...
Ancestry of “landlord”, step by step
landlord traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English landlord
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | landlord | — |
| 2 | Old English | landhlāford | landlord, lord of a manor |
| 3 | Old English | hlāford | lord |
| 4 | Old English | hlāfweard | lord, master, husband |
| 5 | Old English | weard | guard; guard, the action of looking out for... |
| 6 | Old English | ōra | ore, unwrought metal |
| 7 | Old English | ēar | sea, ocean; grave, earth |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ahaz | ear |
| 9 | Proto-Finnic | ahtas | narrow, cramped |
| 10 | Proto-Baltic | anśtas | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énǵʰus | narrow, tight |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂enǵʰ- | to constrict, tighten, compress; narrow, tight;... |
via Middle English landlorde
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | landlorde | landlord, renter |
via Middle English londe lord
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | londe lord | Alternative form of landlorde |