Where does “lead” come from?
Lead comes from Middle English leed, from Old English lǣdan, from Proto-Germanic laidijaną, from Proto-Indo-European h₁lewdʰ-, ultimately deriving from the root ley-.
lead (English): A heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, having...
Definitions
- A heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, having...
Ancestry of “lead”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | leden | to lead; to carry, take, bring; to put, place,... |
| 2 | Old English | lēoden | national or popular language; national language;... |
| 3 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 4 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 5 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |