Where does “lofty ship” come from?

lofty ship (English) comes from English ship, from English relationship, from English relation, from Middle English relacion, from Old French relacion, from Latin relātiō, from Latin referō, from Latin rĕ- — passed , crossed.

Ancestry of “lofty ship”, step by step

lofty ship traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ship

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshipA water-borne vessel generally larger than a...
2EnglishrelationshipConnection or association; the condition of being...
3EnglishrelationThe manner in which two things may be associated;...
4Middle Englishrelacion
5Old Frenchrelacion
6Latinrelātiōcarrying or bringing back
7Latinreferōto bear, bring, drive, or carry back, off, or away
8Latinrĕ-back, backwards
9Latinprōdūcōto lead or bring forth, forward or out
10Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
11Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
14Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
15Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via English Lofty

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishLoftynickname for a tall (usually male) person
2Middle Englishlofty
3Middle Englishlofteair, sky, upper region, loft; of high rank;...
4Old Englishloft
5Old Norseloptattic; air, heaven
6Proto-Germanicluftuzroof; roof of the earth, firmament; heavens, sky;...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlewp-peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanlew-dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tósEvery word from Proto-Indo-European per-Every word from Latin rĕ-