Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “lighthouse” come from?

Lighthouse derives from English light and house, with light descending from Old English lēoht, which traces to Proto-Indo-European lewktom meaning bright or shining.

lighthouse (English): A tower or other structure exhibiting a light or...

Definitions

  1. A tower or other structure exhibiting a light or...

Ancestry of “lighthouse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishLight—
2Middle EnglishlightThe radiation which allows for vision by...
3Old Englishlēohtluminous, bright, light, clear, resplendent,...
4Proto-West Germanicleuhtlight, bright; light
5Proto-Germanicleuhtąlight
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlewktom—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlewk-bright; to shine; to see

Words derived from “lighthouse”

  • lighthousekeeper
  • lighthouseman
  • lighthouselike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewk- →