Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “lowdown” come from?

Lowdown is a compound of English low and down, where down derives from Old English dūn, which comes from Proto-Celtic dūnom, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱley-.

lowdown (English): The story or truth; Unfair; shameful

Definitions

  1. The story or truth; Unfair; shameful

Ancestry of “lowdown”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlowSituated close to, or even below, the ground or...
2EnglishallowTo grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield;...
3Middle Englishallowen—
4Old FrenchalouerAlternative form of aloer
5Latinallocō—
6Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
7Latinīn-—
8Latinîn—
9Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
10Proto-Italicenin
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →