Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “lawe” come from?

lawe (Middle English) comes from Old English lagu, from Old Norse lǫg, from Old Norse lág, from Old Norse leggja, from Proto-Germanic lagjaną, from Proto-Indo-European legʰ- — to lie.

lawe (Middle English): A law, regulation, or a group of them; Morality,...

Definitions

  1. A law, regulation, or a group of them; Morality,...

Ancestry of “lawe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlagusea, water, lake; the runic character ᛚ; law,...
2Old Norselǫgfate; situation, the condition that one is given...
3Old Norselága felled tree; log; lying tree
4Old Norseleggjato lay, place, put; to make, build
5Proto-Germaniclagjanąto lay, to place in a resting position
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlegʰ-to lie

Words derived from “lawe”

  • law
  • lawyer
  • lawful
  • unlawful
  • lawsuit
  • lawless
  • lawfully
  • lawlessness
  • unlawfully
  • lawgiver
  • lawmaking
  • lawfulness
  • unlawfulness
  • nonlawyer
  • lawbreaking
  • lawyerly
  • lawbreaker
  • lawlike
  • lawlessly
  • lawgiving
  • prelaw
  • lawbook
  • powerlaw
  • lawing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European legʰ- →