Where does “list” come from?
List comes from Middle English list, from Proto-Germanic līstǭ, from Proto-Indo-European leizd, leys-, lewktom, and lewk-, with ultimate origins unclear.
list (English): A strip of fabric, especially from the edge of a...
Definitions
- A strip of fabric, especially from the edge of a...
Ancestry of “list”, step by step
list traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English liste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | liste | Alternative form of light; ability, cleverness,... |
| 2 | Middle English | light | The radiation which allows for vision by... |
| 3 | Old English | lēoht | luminous, bright, light, clear, resplendent,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | leuht | light, bright; light |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | leuhtą | light |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewktom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |