Where does “last” come from?
Last comes from Middle English last, from Proto-Indo-European leys-, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European kelh₂-, meaning to be hidden or concealed.
last (English): Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its...
Definitions
- Final, ultimate, coming after all others of its...
Ancestry of “last”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | last | fault, vice; load |
| 2 | Old English | hlæst | load, freight, cargo |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hlastuz | load, burden, cargo, freight |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kleh₂- | to put; to lay out |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kelh₂- | to beat; to break |
Words derived from “last”