Where does “lake” come from?
lake (Swedish) comes from Middle Low German lāke, from Old Saxon laca, from Proto-West Germanic laku, from Finnish lakritsi, from Swedish lakrits, from Late Latin liquiritia, from Ancient Greek γλυκύρριζα, from Ancient Greek γλυκύς.
lake (Swedish): brine; burbot
Definitions
- brine; burbot
Ancestry of “lake”, step by step
lake traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle Low German lāke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | lāke | water pooled in a riverbed; standing water; brine |
| 2 | Old Saxon | laca | lake, stream, brook |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | laku | stream; pool, lake |
| 4 | Finnish | lakritsi | licorice, liquorice |
| 5 | Swedish | lakrits | licorice/liquorice |
| 6 | Late Latin | liquiritia | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | γλυκύρριζα | licorice |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | γλυκύς | sweet |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | *dlukús | — |