Where does “lust” come from?
lust (German) comes from Middle High German lust, from Old High German lust, from Proto-West Germanic lustu, from Proto-Germanic lustuz, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.
Ancestry of “lust”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | lust | — |
| 2 | Old High German | lust | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | lustu | desire, want, lust |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lustuz | lust, desire, want |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lausaz | loose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewH- | louse |