Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “los” come from?

los (German) comes from Old High German lōs, from Proto-West Germanic laus, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

Ancestry of “los”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanlōsloose; free; lacking; sly, deceitful
2Proto-West Germaniclausloose, free
3Proto-Germaniclausazloose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →