Where does “loyalist” come from?
Loyalist comes from English loyal plus the suffix -ist, from Latin legalis meaning lawful, derived from Latin lex meaning law, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leǵ-.
loyalist (English): A person who is loyal to a cause, generally used...
Definitions
- A person who is loyal to a cause, generally used...
Ancestry of “loyalist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | loyal | Having or demonstrating undivided and constant... |
| 2 | French | loyal | loyal, faithful |
| 3 | Old French | loial | loyal |
| 4 | Old French | leial | Alternative form of loial |
| 5 | Latin | lēgālis | legal |
| 6 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |