Where does “loss” come from?

Loss comes from Middle English los, from Old Norse lauss meaning loose or free, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lēw- meaning to loosen or separate.

loss (English): The result of no longer possessing an object, a...

Definitions

  1. The result of no longer possessing an object, a...

Ancestry of “loss”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlōsloss
2Old Englishlosloss; destruction
3Proto-Germaniclusąloss
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewHs-to cut; sever; loose; lose; to cut loose; sever;...
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

Words derived from “loss

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH-