Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “lesse” come from?

lesse (Old French) comes from Latin laxa, from Latin laxo, from Latin laxus, from Proto-Indo-European (s)lēg- — to let go; weak, feeble; loose; dissolute, lewd;...

Ancestry of “lesse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinlaxasecond-person singular present active imperative...
2LatinlaxoI extend, expand; I open, make wide; I undo,...
3Latinlaxuswide, spacious, roomy; yielding; loose, slack,...
4Proto-Indo-European(s)lēg-to let go; weak, feeble; loose; dissolute, lewd;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)lēg- →