Where does “lak” come from?
lak (Serbo-Croatian) comes from German lack, from Italian lacca, from Medieval Latin lacca, from Arabic لَكّ, from Persian لاک, from Urdu لاکھ, from Maharastri Prakrit 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔, from Sanskrit लक्ष — to protect.
lak (Serbo-Croatian): easy; light; lacquer
Definitions
- easy; light; lacquer
Ancestry of “lak”, step by step
lak traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German lack
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | lack | imperative singular of lacken; first-person... |
| 2 | Italian | lacca | hole, pit; poplite muscle; thigh |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | lacca | — |
| 4 | Arabic | لَكّ | — |
| 5 | Persian | لاک | trough, wooden vessel |
| 6 | Urdu | لاکھ | lakh, lac |
| 7 | Maharastri Prakrit | 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔 | — |
| 8 | Sanskrit | लक्ष | a mark, sign, token; a mark to aim at, target,... |
| 9 | Sanskrit | लक्ष् | perceive, observe; recognise; to mark, sign |
| 10 | Sanskrit | रक्ष् | to protect, guard, watch, take care of, save,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | Hrakṣ- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | Hrakš- | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂lek- | to protect |