Where does “laundry” come from?
Laundry derives from Middle English lavendrye, from Old French lavanderie, from Latin lavandaria and lavandarium, ultimately from Latin lavare and lavo, rooted in Proto-Indo-European lewh₃-, meaning to wash.
laundry (English): A laundering; a washing; A place or room where...
Definitions
- A laundering; a washing; A place or room where...
Ancestry of “laundry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lavendrie | A part of a manor or a facility for washing clothes; a laundry |
| 2 | Old French | lavanderie | laundry |
| 3 | Latin | lavandaria | — |
| 4 | Latin | lavandarium | — |
| 5 | Latin | lavare | present active infinitive of lavō; second-person... |
| 6 | Latin | lavo | I wash, bathe; I wet, moisten |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | lawaō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | léwh₃eti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewh₃- | to wash |