Where does “vara någon till lags” come from?

vara någon till lags (Swedish) comes from Swedish vara, from Old Swedish vara, from Old Norse vara, from Middle Low German ware, from Old Saxon wār, from Proto-West Germanic wār, from Proto-Germanic wēraz, from Proto-Indo-European wiHrós — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.

vara någon till lags (Swedish): to please someone (for example by fulfilling their requests)

Definitions

  1. to please someone (for example by fulfilling their requests)

Ancestry of “vara någon till lags”, step by step

vara någon till lags traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Swedish vara

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1SwedishvaraTo be; existence, being; to last
2Old SwedishvaraTo be
3Old Norsevarato ware, watch out, defend
4Middle Low Germanware
5Old Saxonwārtrue
6Proto-West Germanicwārtrue, reliable
7Proto-Germanicwēraztrue; reliable; friendly; kind
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanwiHrósman; husband; warrior, hero
9Proto-Indo-Europeanweyh₁-to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute

via Swedish till

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishtillto; for; with
2Swedishkällaa source; the origin of something; a source of...
3Old Swedishkallato call, name; to summon, call for
4Old Norsekallato call, name, refer to; to call, shout
5Proto-Germanickalzōnąto call, shout
6Proto-Germanickalzaz
7Proto-Indo-Europeangols-
8Proto-Indo-Europeangels-voice, cry; to call; voice, cry; to call

via Swedish lags

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishlags
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁-