Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “lawyer” come from?

Lawyer derives from Middle English lawer, from Middle English lawe, from Old English hlāw, from Old Norse lǫg, from Proto-Indo-European lakw-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱley-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel-.

lawyer (English): A professional person qualified and authorized...

Definitions

  1. A professional person qualified and authorized...

Ancestry of “lawyer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlawiere—
2Middle EnglishlaweA law, regulation, or a group of them; Morality,...
3Old Englishlagusea, water, lake; the runic character ᛚ; law,...
4Old Norselǫgfate; situation, the condition that one is given...
5Old Norselága felled tree; log; lying tree
6Old Norseleggjato lay, place, put; to make, build
7Proto-Germaniclagjanąto lay, to place in a resting position
8Proto-Indo-Europeanlegʰ-to lie

Words derived from “lawyer”

  • nonlawyer
  • lawyerly
  • lawyerlike
  • lawyeress
  • lawyerless
  • superlawyer
  • unlawyerly
  • antilawyer
  • lawyerdom
  • lawyerspeak
  • lawyerese
  • outlawyer
  • lawyerliness
  • lawyerball
  • cyberlawyer
  • neurolawyer
  • robolawyer
  • לויער
  • loya
Every word from Proto-Indo-European legʰ- →