Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “loa” come from?

Loa comes from Haitian Creole lwa, from French loi, from Middle French loy, from Old French loi, ultimately from Latin lex meaning law or rule.

loa (English): In the voodoo religion, a spirit intermediary...

Definitions

  1. In the voodoo religion, a spirit intermediary...

Ancestry of “loa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Haitian Creolelwaloa; god, spirit; law
2Frenchloilaw
3Middle Frenchloylaw
4Old Frenchloilaw; rule; regulation
5Old Frenchleia law
6Latinlēx—
7Proto-Italiclēg-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-s—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...

Words derived from “loa”

  • ロア
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- →