Where does “leer” come from?

leer (Pennsylvania German) comes from Middle High German lǣre, from Old High German lāri, from Proto-Germanic lēziz, from Proto-Indo-European les- — to gather, to collect.

leer (Pennsylvania German): empty

Definitions

  1. empty

Ancestry of “leer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanlǣre—
2Old High Germanlāriempty
3Proto-Germaniclēzizempty
4Proto-Indo-Europeanles-to gather, to collect
Every word from Proto-Indo-European les- →Every word from Proto-Germanic lēziz →Every word from Old High German lāri →