Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “leisure” come from?

Leisure comes from Middle English leisir, from Anglo-Norman leisir, from Old French loisir, from Latin licere meaning "to be permitted," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leyk-.

leisure (English): Freedom provided by the cessation of activities;...

Definitions

  1. Freedom provided by the cessation of activities;...

Ancestry of “leisure”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishleyser—
2Old FrenchleisirAlternative form of loisir
3Latinlicēre—

Words derived from “leisure”

  • leisurely
  • leisured
  • leisureliness
  • leisurewear
  • leisurable
  • leisurably
  • unleisurely
  • nonleisure
  • unleisured
  • leisureless
  • leisuring
  • leisureness
  • leisurist
  • unleisuredness
  • leisuresome
  • leisurelessness
  • antileisure
  • leisurelily
  • レジャー
  • レジャーウエア
Every word from Latin licēre →