Where does “liege” come from?

Liege comes from Middle English lege, from Middle French ligue, from Italian lega, from Italian legare meaning "to bind," from Latin ligo.

liege (English): A free and independent person; "specifically", a...

Definitions

  1. A free and independent person; "specifically", a...

Ancestry of “liege”, step by step

liege traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English liege

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishliegeAlternative form of lege
2Anglo-Normanligeliege; liegeman; vassal
3Old Frenchliegeliege, servant; liege, free
4Vulgar Latinleviuscomparative degree of leviter
5Latinlēvislight, not heavy
6Proto-Italicleɣʷislight
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

via French Liège

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchLiègecork dead protective tissue between the bark and cambium in woody plants, with suberin deposits making it impervious to gasses and water
2Proto-Germanicliudīzman, person
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léwdʰispeople
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lewdʰ-to grow; people

Words derived from “liege”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus →Every word from Proto-Italic leɣʷis →