Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “lawlessly” come from?

lawlessly (English) comes from English lawless, from Middle English laweles, from Middle English lawe, from Old English lagu, from Old Norse lǫg, from Old Norse lág, from Old Norse leggja, from Proto-Germanic lagjaną — to lie.

lawlessly (English): In a lawless manner

Definitions

  1. In a lawless manner

Ancestry of “lawlessly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlawlessNot governed by any law; Prohibited by law;...
2Middle EnglishlawelesNot following the law or discipline; unruly,...
3Middle EnglishlaweA law, regulation, or a group of them; Morality,...
4Old Englishlagusea, water, lake; the runic character ᛚ; law,...
5Old Norselǫgfate; situation, the condition that one is given...
6Old Norselága felled tree; log; lying tree
7Old Norseleggjato lay, place, put; to make, build
8Proto-Germaniclagjanąto lay, to place in a resting position
9Proto-Indo-Europeanlegʰ-to lie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European legʰ- →