Where does “lax” come from?
Lax comes from Latin laxus, from Proto-Germanic lahsaz, from Proto-Indo-European laḱs-, a root also reflected in laks-.
lax (English): A salmon; Lenient and allowing for deviation; not...
Definitions
- A salmon; Lenient and allowing for deviation; not...
Ancestry of “lax”, step by step
lax traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English lax
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lax | salmon |
| 2 | Old English | leax | a salmon |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | lahs | salmon |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lahsaz | salmon |
| 5 | Chinese | 拉薩 | — |
| 6 | Tibetan | ལྷ་ས | Lhasa |
| 7 | Old Tibetan | ར་ས | — |
via Latin laxus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | laxus | wide, spacious, roomy; yielding; loose, slack,... |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)lēg- | to let go; weak, feeble; loose; dissolute, lewd;... |