Where does “lǣs” come from?

lǣs (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic laisiz, from Proto-Indo-European leys- — to trace, to track.

lǣs (Old English): less, lest; meadow; pasture

Definitions

  1. less, lest; meadow; pasture

Ancestry of “lǣs”, step by step

lǣs traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Germanic laisiz

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germaniclaisizsmaller, lesser; smaller, lesser, fewer, lower
2Proto-Indo-Europeanleys-to trace, to track

via Proto-West Germanic *lāsu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*lāsuletting, allowing

Words derived from “lǣs”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leys- →Every word from Proto-Germanic laisiz →