Where does “wikilawyer” come from?

wikilawyer (English) comes from English lawyer, from Middle English lawiere, from Middle English lawe, from Old English lagu, from Old Norse lǫg, from Old Norse lág, from Old Norse leggja, from Proto-Germanic lagjaną — to lie.

wikilawyer (English): Someone who engages in legalistic arguments on a wiki

Definitions

  1. Someone who engages in legalistic arguments on a wiki

Ancestry of “wikilawyer”, step by step

wikilawyer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English lawyer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlawyerA professional person qualified and authorized...
2Middle Englishlawierelawyer individual authorised to practice law
3Middle EnglishlaweA law, regulation, or a group of them; Morality,...
4Old Englishlagusea, water, lake; the runic character ᛚ; law,...
5Old Norselǫgfate; situation, the condition that one is given...
6Old Norselága felled tree; log; lying tree
7Old Norseleggjato lay, place, put; to make, build
8Proto-Germaniclagjanąto lay, to place in a resting position
9Proto-Indo-Europeanlegʰ-to lie

via English wiki

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwikiA collaborative website which can be directly...
2EnglishWikiWikiWeb
3Hawaiianwikiwikispeedy
4Hawaiianwikihasten, speed up; be swift, speedy, quick
5Proto-Polynesianwiti

Words derived from “wikilawyer

Every word from Proto-Indo-European legʰ-Every word from Proto-Germanic lagjanąEvery word from Old Norse leggja