Where does “lessen” come from?

lessen (German Low German) comes from Middle Low German lössen, from Middle Low German los, from Old Saxon lōs, from Proto-West Germanic laus, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

Ancestry of “lessen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Low Germanlössen—
2Middle Low Germanlos—
3Old Saxonlōs—
4Proto-West Germaniclausloose, free
5Proto-Germaniclausazloose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lausaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic laus →