Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “lone” come from?

lone (Middle English) comes from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic laihną, from Proto-Indo-European leykʷ- — to leave.

Ancestry of “lone”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norselánloan; luck
2Proto-Germaniclaihnąthat which is lent, loan; fief
3Proto-Indo-Europeanleykʷ-to leave

Words derived from “lone”

  • loan
  • lane
  • loanable
  • loanword
  • laneway
  • loaner
  • multilane
  • microloan
  • laned
  • loanee
  • bylane
  • reloan
  • loanmonger
  • interloan
  • loanback
  • loanholder
  • loanworthy
  • loan-back
  • loanability
  • loanest
  • sea lane
  • outlane
  • loanwords
  • laneless
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leykʷ- →