Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “lofty” come from?

lofty (Middle English) comes from Middle English lofte, from Old English loft, from Old Norse lopt, from Proto-Germanic luftuz, from Proto-Indo-European lewp-, from Proto-Indo-European lew- — dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to...

Ancestry of “lofty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlofteair, sky, upper region, loft; of high rank;...
2Old Englishloft—
3Old Norseloptattic; air, heaven
4Proto-Germanicluftuzroof; roof of the earth, firmament; heavens, sky;...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlewp-peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlew-dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to...

Words derived from “lofty”

  • lofty
  • loftiness
  • loftily
  • Lofty
  • unlofty
  • unloftily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lew- →