Where does “lie detector” come from?

lie detector (English) comes from English lie, from Middle English lie, from Old English lyġe, from Proto-West Germanic *lugi, from Proto-Germanic lugiz, from Proto-Indo-European lewgʰ- — to lie, to tell falsehood.

lie detector (English): A device designed to detect or indicate when a person is lying by measuring and recording several physiological variables

Definitions

  1. A device designed to detect or indicate when a person is lying by measuring and recording several physiological variables

Ancestry of “lie detector”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlieTo rest in a horizontal position on a surface; To...
2Middle Englishlie—
3Old Englishlyġelie, falsehood
4Proto-West Germanic*lugifalse, lying
5Proto-Germaniclugizlie, falsehood
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlewgʰ-to lie, to tell falsehood

Words derived from “lie detector”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewgʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lugiz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *lugi →