Where does “looniness” come from?
looniness (English) comes from English loony, from English loon, from Middle English louen, from Middle English loue, from Middle English lah, from Old Norse lágr, from German lager, from Middle High German leger — to lie.
looniness (English): The state or condition of being loony; craziness,...
Definitions
- The state or condition of being loony; craziness,...
Ancestry of “looniness”, step by step
looniness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English loony
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | loony | Insane; Very silly, absurd; An insane or very... |
| 2 | English | loon | An idler, a lout; A boy, a lad; A harlot;... |
| 3 | Middle English | louen | to low |
| 4 | Middle English | loue | Alternative form of lah |
| 5 | Middle English | lah | low |
| 6 | Old Norse | lágr | low; short |
| 7 | German | lager | first-person singular present of lagern; singular... |
| 8 | Middle High German | leger | — |
| 9 | Old High German | legar | — |
| 10 | Old Norse | legr | — |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | legrą | a lying, a place where one lies; camp |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | legʰ- | to lie |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |