Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “ligeance” come from?

ligeance (Old French) comes from Old French lige, from Old French liege, from Vulgar Latin levius, from Latin lēvis, from Proto-Italic leɣʷis, from Proto-Indo-European h₁léngʰus, from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- — light.

Ancestry of “ligeance”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchligeliege; liegeman; vassal
2Old Frenchliegeliege, servant; liege, free
3Vulgar Latinleviuscomparative degree of leviter
4Latinlēvis—
5Proto-Italicleɣʷis—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léngʰuslightweight
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lengʷʰ-light

Words derived from “ligeance”

  • ligeance
  • ligeaunce
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lengʷʰ- →