Where does “list” come from?

list (Middle English) comes from Old English list, from Proto-Germanic listiz, from Proto-Indo-European leys- — to trace, to track.

Ancestry of “list”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlistart; cunning, guile, craft
2Proto-Germaniclistizart, craft; cunning, guile
3Proto-Indo-Europeanleys-to trace, to track

Words derived from “list”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leys- →
list — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer