Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “lēoflīċ” come from?

lēoflīċ (Old English) comes from Old English lēof, from West Germanic *leub, from Proto-Germanic leubaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European lēw- — to sound, resound, sing out; to leave.

Ancestry of “lēoflīċ”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlēoflief, dear
2West Germanic*leub—
3Proto-Germanicleubazdear, beloved
4Proto-Indo-Europeanlewbʰ-to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlēw-to sound, resound, sing out; to leave
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lēw- →