Where does “лестный” come from?
лестный (Russian) comes from Russian лесть, from Old Church Slavonic льсть, from Proto-Slavic lьstь, from Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃, from Proto-Germanic listiz, from Proto-Indo-European leys- — to trace, to track.
лестный (Russian): complimentary
Ancestry of “лестный”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | лесть | flattery, adulation, cajolery |
| 2 | Old Church Slavonic | льсть | intrigue; deceit |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | lьstь | ruse, decoy; flattery |
| 4 | Gothic | 𐌻𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 | a cunning plan, a scheme, a plot; a wile |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | listiz | art, craft; cunning, guile |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leys- | to trace, to track |