Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “unleafy” come from?

unleafy (English) comes from English leafy, from English leaf, from Old English Leofa, from Old English lēof, from West Germanic *leub, from Proto-Germanic leubaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European lēw- — to sound, resound, sing out; to leave.

unleafy (English): Not leafy

Definitions

  1. Not leafy

Ancestry of “unleafy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishleafycovered with leaves; containing much foliage; in...
2EnglishleafThe usually green and flat organ that represents...
3Old EnglishLeofa—
4Old Englishlēoflief, dear
5West Germanic*leub—
6Proto-Germanicleubazdear, beloved
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlewbʰ-to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanlēw-to sound, resound, sing out; to leave
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lēw- →