Where does “lewed man” come from?
lewed man (Middle English) comes from Middle English lewed, from Vulgar Latin *laigo-, from Latin lāicus, from Ancient Greek λαϊκός, from Ancient Greek λᾱός, from Proto-Hellenic lāwós, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂wos, from Proto-Indo-European leh₂- — to bark, howl; to be concealed.
lewed man (Middle English): Somebody who is not a cleric; a member of the laity
Definitions
- Somebody who is not a cleric; a member of the laity
Ancestry of “lewed man”, step by step
lewed man traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English lewed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lewed | Unrelated to the church; non-priestly; lay;... |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | *laigo- | — |
| 3 | Latin | lāicus | lay (of the laity) |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | λαϊκός | of the people; popular |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λᾱός | people; men; the people |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | lāwós | people, crowd |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂wos | people |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leh₂- | to bark, howl; to be concealed |
via Middle English man
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | man | Typically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you;... |
| 2 | Old English | mān | bad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | महादेव | the "great God" |
| 4 | Sanskrit | महा | combining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | maźʰā́ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | maȷ́ʰā́ | big, great |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |