Where does “lest” come from?

lest (Middle High German) comes from Middle High German lezzest, from Old High German lezzist, from Old High German laz, from Proto-Germanic lataz, from Proto-Indo-European lē(y)d-.

Ancestry of “lest”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanlezzest—
2Old High Germanlezzist—
3Old High Germanlazslow; lazy
4Proto-Germaniclatazslow, sluggish; lazy; late
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlē(y)d-—

Words derived from “lest”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lē(y)d- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lataz →Every word from Old High German laz →