Where does “lofty” come from?
Lofty derives from Middle English lofte, Old English loft, Old Norse lopt, Proto-Germanic luftuz, and Proto-Indo-European roots lew- and lewp-, originally referring to air or sky.
lofty (English): high, tall, having great height or stature;...
Definitions
- high, tall, having great height or stature;...
Ancestry of “lofty”, step by step
lofty traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English lofty
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lofty | — |
| 2 | Middle English | lofte | air, sky, upper region, loft; of high rank;... |
| 3 | Old English | loft | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | lopt | attic; air, heaven |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | luftuz | roof; roof of the earth, firmament; heavens, sky;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewp- | peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lew- | dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to... |
via Middle English lofti
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lofti | — |