Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “low” come from?

Low comes from Old English hlǣw, which derives from Old Norse lágr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- meaning to lean or incline.

low (English): Situated close to, or even below, the ground or...

Definitions

  1. Situated close to, or even below, the ground or...

Ancestry of “low”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishallowTo grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield;...
2Middle Englishallowen—
3Old FrenchalouerAlternative form of aloer
4Latinallocō—
5Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
6Latinīn-—
7Latinîn—
8Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
9Proto-Italicenin
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “low”

  • lower
  • lowly
  • lowland
  • lowliness
  • lowness
  • lowermost
  • lowpass
  • lowdown
  • lowbrow
  • lowlife
  • ultralow
  • lowlander
  • lowlight
  • lowrider
  • lowcut
  • lowish
  • lowbush
  • lowboy
  • superlow
  • lowbred
  • lowminded
  • highlow
  • lowery
  • lowriding
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →