Where does “lest” come from?

lest (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Old Norse leistr, from Proto-Germanic laistiz, from Proto-Indo-European leys- — to trace, to track.

lest (Norwegian Bokmål): past participle of lese; past participle of...

Definitions

  1. past participle of lese; past participle of...

Ancestry of “lest”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseleistrsock; foot, sock
2Proto-Germaniclaistiz—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanleys-to trace, to track
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leys- →Every word from Proto-Germanic laistiz →Every word from Old Norse leistr →