Where does “lawman” come from?
Lawman derives from Middle English laweman, from Old English lahmann, from Old Norse logmaðr, literally a man of the law or legal assembly.
lawman (English): A lawspeaker: a declarer of the law; One of 12...
Definitions
- A lawspeaker: a declarer of the law; One of 12...
Ancestry of “lawman”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | laweman | — |
| 2 | Old English | lahmann | lawman |
| 3 | Old Norse | lǫgmaðr | lawspeaker |
| 4 | Old Norse | lǫg | fate; situation, the condition that one is given... |
| 5 | Old Norse | lág | a felled tree; log; lying tree |
| 6 | Old Norse | leggja | to lay, place, put; to make, build |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | lagjaną | to lay, to place in a resting position |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | legʰ- | to lie |