Where does “læce” come from?

læce (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic lākī, from Proto-Germanic lēkijaz, from Proto-Indo-European leǵ- — to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...

læce (Old English): doctor, physician; leech

Definitions

  1. doctor, physician; leech

Ancestry of “læce”, step by step

læce traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-West Germanic lākī

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germaniclākīdoctor, physician
2Proto-Germaniclēkijazdoctor, physician
3Proto-Indo-Europeanleǵ-to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...

via Proto-Indo-European lewǵ-

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Indo-Europeanlewǵ-to break, tear; to break, shatter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leǵ-Every word from Proto-Germanic lēkijazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic lākī