Where does “lower house” come from?
lower house (English) comes from English lower, from English low, from English allow, from Middle English allowen, from Old French alouer, from Latin allocō, from Latin ad-, from Latin īn- — in.
lower house (English): The lower legislative house in a bicameral legislature; in many cases, the one that is directly elected and/or has more practical power, such as the power to raise and spend money
Definitions
- The lower legislative house in a bicameral legislature; in many cases, the one that is directly elected and/or has more practical power, such as the power to raise and spend money
Ancestry of “lower house”, step by step
lower house traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lower
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lower | comparative form of low: more low; bottom; more... |
| 2 | English | low | Situated close to, or even below, the ground or... |
| 3 | English | allow | To grant, give, admit, accord, afford, or yield;... |
| 4 | Middle English | allowen | — |
| 5 | Old French | alouer | Alternative form of aloer |
| 6 | Latin | allocō | to hire |
| 7 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 8 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 9 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 10 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English House
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | House | A particular chamber of political representation |
| 2 | Middle English | hous | house, residence; house of worship, temple;... |
| 3 | Old English | hūs | dwelling, shelter, house; house |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hūs | house |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hūsą | house |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewH- | to cover, bedeck; cover |