Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “laïque” come from?

laïque (French) comes from Latin lāicus, from Ancient Greek λαϊκός, from Ancient Greek λᾱός, from Proto-Hellenic lāwós, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂wos, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- — to bark, howl; to be concealed.

laïque (French): lay, secular; layman, layperson

Definitions

  1. lay, secular; layman, layperson

Ancestry of “laïque”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinlāicus—
2Ancient Greekλαϊκόςof the people; popular
3Ancient Greekλᾱόςpeople; men; the people
4Proto-Helleniclāwós—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂wospeople
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₂-to bark, howl; to be concealed

Words derived from “laïque”

  • laic
  • laicism
  • laicization
  • laicist
  • laicize
  • laicise
  • laically
  • laïquement
  • laik
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- →