Where does “lottery” come from?
Lottery comes from Italian lotteria, derived from Italian lotto, which was borrowed from Old French lot, ultimately tracing to Proto-Germanic hlutą meaning "share" or "portion" through Frankish hlot.
lottery (English): A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or...
Definitions
- A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or...
Ancestry of “lottery”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | lotteria | lottery; sweepstake |
| 2 | Italian | lotto | lot; plot; lottery |
| 3 | French | Lot | — |
| 4 | Middle French | lot | — |
| 5 | Old French | loz | — |
| 6 | Frankish | lot | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hlutą | lot, share; fate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |
Words derived from “lottery”