Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “lust” come from?

lust (Middle English) comes from Old English lust, from Proto-West Germanic lustu, from Proto-Germanic lustuz, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

Ancestry of “lust”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlustdesire, pleasure, appetite, lust
2Proto-West Germaniclustudesire, want, lust
3Proto-Germaniclustuzlust, desire, want
4Proto-Germaniclausazloose, free; empty, devoid; false, untrue
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

Words derived from “lust”

  • lust
  • lusty
  • luscious
  • lustily
  • lusting
  • bloodlust
  • lusteth
  • lusciously
  • lusciousness
  • lustiness
  • lustihood
  • technolust
  • lustic
  • unlusty
  • lushious
  • lustest
  • overlusty
  • lustingly
  • lustworthy
  • antilust
  • overluscious
  • lussyouse
  • unlustiness
  • lustwort
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →