Where does “laird” come from?
laird (Scots) comes from Middle English lard, from Middle English lord, from Old English hlāford, from Old English hlāfweard, from Old English weard, from Old English ōra, from Old English ēar, from Proto-Germanic ahaz — to constrict, tighten, compress; narrow, tight;...
laird (Scots): a lord or land owner
Ancestry of “laird”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lard | — |
| 2 | Middle English | lord | lord; Lord |
| 3 | Old English | hlāford | lord |
| 4 | Old English | hlāfweard | lord, master, husband |
| 5 | Old English | weard | guard; guard, the action of looking out for... |
| 6 | Old English | ōra | ore, unwrought metal |
| 7 | Old English | ēar | sea, ocean; grave, earth |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ahaz | ear |
| 9 | Proto-Finnic | ahtas | narrow, cramped |
| 10 | Proto-Baltic | anśtas | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énǵʰus | narrow, tight |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂enǵʰ- | to constrict, tighten, compress; narrow, tight;... |
Words derived from “laird”