Where does “lessive” come from?

lessive (French) comes from Old French lissive, from Latin lixīva, from Latin lixīvus, from Latin lixa, from Latin *lixus, from Proto-Indo-European wleykʷ- — moist, to wet.

lessive (French): lye, alkaline solution; detergent; laundry

Definitions

  1. lye, alkaline solution; detergent; laundry

Ancestry of “lessive”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchlissive—
2Latinlixīvalye, alkalized water
3Latinlixīvusmade into lye
4Latinlixalye; water; sutler, camp follower, attendant
5Latin*lixusnow the Loukkos
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwleykʷ-moist, to wet

Words derived from “lessive”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wleykʷ- →Every word from Latin *lixus →Every word from Latin lixa →