Where does “lough” come from?

lough (Middle English) comes from Scottish Gaelic loch, from Old Irish loch, from Proto-Celtic loku, from Proto-Indo-European lókus — pond, pool.

lough (Middle English): lake; loch

Definitions

  1. lake; loch

Ancestry of “lough”, step by step

lough traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Scottish Gaelic loch

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scottish Gaeliclochlake; arm of the sea; fjord
2Old Irishlochlake; inlet of the sea; black, dark
3Proto-Celticlokulake, pool
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlókuspond, pool

via Slovak hloh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Slovakhlohhawthorn
2Proto-Slavicglogъhawthorn
3Proto-Indo-Europeanglogʰ-—

Words derived from “lough”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lókus →Every word from Proto-Celtic loku →Every word from Old Irish loch →