Where does “loony” come from?
Loony derives from English lunatic, from Middle English lunatik, from Old French lunatique, from Late Latin lunaticus meaning moon-affected, based on Latin luna meaning moon with the adjectival suffix -icus and Proto-Indo-European -kos, from the root lewk- meaning to shine.
loony (English): Insane; Very silly, absurd; An insane or very...
Definitions
- Insane; Very silly, absurd; An insane or very...
Ancestry of “loony”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | loon | An idler, a lout; A boy, a lad; A harlot;... |
| 2 | Middle English | louen | to low |
| 3 | Middle English | loue | Alternative form of lah |
| 4 | Middle English | lah | low |
| 5 | Old Norse | lágr | low; short |
| 6 | German | lager | first-person singular present of lagern; singular... |
| 7 | Middle High German | leger | — |
| 8 | Old High German | legar | — |
| 9 | Old Norse | legr | — |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | legrą | a lying, a place where one lies; camp |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | legʰ- | to lie |