Where does “lewdness” come from?
Lewdness derives from Middle English lewednesse, from Middle English -nesse, Old English -nes, Proto-Germanic -inassuz, ultimately from Proto-Germanic -inōną.
lewdness (English): The quality, state or instance of being lewd;...
Definitions
- The quality, state or instance of being lewd;...
Ancestry of “lewdness”, step by step
lewdness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lewd
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lewd | Lascivious, sexually promiscuous, rude; Lay; not... |
| 2 | Middle English | lewed | Unrelated to the church; non-priestly; lay;... |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | *laigo- | — |
| 4 | Latin | lāicus | lay (of the laity) |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λαϊκός | of the people; popular |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | λᾱός | people; men; the people |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | people, crowd |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |
via Middle English lewednesse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lewednesse | A deficiency or absence of knowledge;... |
| 2 | Middle English | -nesse | Affixed to adjectives to form abstract nouns... |
| 3 | Old English | -nes | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -nassī | Used to form abstract nouns, usually from... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -inassuz | -ness |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |