Where does “léger” come from?

léger (French) comes from Old French legier, from Vulgar Latin leviarius, from Latin levius, from Latin lēvis, from Proto-Italic leɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus, from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- — light.

léger (French): light; slight

Definitions

  1. light; slight

Ancestry of “léger”, step by step

léger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old French legier

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchlegierlight; slight
2Vulgar Latinleviariuslight
3Latinleviuscomparative degree of leviter
4Latinlēvislight, not heavy
5Proto-Italicleɣʷislight
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

via Latin liger

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinligerfirst-person singular present passive subjunctive...
2Gaulishligasilt, sediment, deposit, alluvium
3Proto-Celticlegyālayer
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlegʰ-to lie

Words derived from “léger”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus →Every word from Proto-Italic leɣʷis →