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

low traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English allow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishallowTo grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield;...
2Middle Englishallowen—
3Old FrenchalouerAlternative form of aloer
4Latinallocōto hire
5Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
6Latinīn-un-, non-, not
7Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
8Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
9Proto-Italicenin
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

via Old English hlāw

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhlāwburial mound; hill, ound; mound
2Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
3Proto-West Germanictūnfence
4Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
5Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
6Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via Middle English lowen

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishlowenAlternative spelling of louen; to low; rascal;...
2Old Englishhlōwanto make a noise; to low; to low, bellow, roar
3Proto-Germanichlōanąto shout; to bellow; roar
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱelh₁-to warm up, to be hot; to warm up, be hot

Words derived from “low”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →