Where does “lak” come from?
lak (Old Norse) comes from Middle Low German lāken, from Old Saxon lakan, from Proto-Germanic lakaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)leh₂g- — to be slack; be limp; droop; sag.
Ancestry of “lak”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | lāken | — |
| 2 | Old Saxon | lakan | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | lakaną | linen; cloth; sheet |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)leh₂g- | to be slack; be limp; droop; sag |