Etymograph

English

Lee

Lee comes from Old English lēah ‘meadow’, from Proto-West Germanic *lauh ‘clearing’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lówkos‘clearing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lauhaz‘clearing’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*lauh‘clearing’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150lēah‘meadow’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150lēadative case of lēah
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1955Lee

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lówkos‘clearing’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lauhaz‘clearing’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*lauh‘clearing’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150lēah‘meadow’
  6. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150lēadative case of lēah
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1955Lee

Earliest quotation: 1955, Rev. A. W. V. Mace, An Irish Journey—1: “The River Lee is an important feature of the…”

The story

From Old English lēa, the dative case of lēah (‘meadow’), originally to denote someone who lived near a meadow.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’

light, low, link, los, lucy, ounce, lunar, luna, illumination, lux, illuminate, lucid, luminous, translucent, lumen, lynx, luce, luminosity, lumia, lum, lune, loach, luminescent, luminary, luminal, leucine, 75 more

through Old English lēah ‘meadow’

leigh, lea, lye

Another origin of Lee

  1. Irishc. 1200–presentLaoi
  2. EnglishtodayLee

Another origin of Lee

  1. Koreanmodern^이(李)李
  2. EnglishtodayLee

Today it means

name An English topographic surname from Middle English.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewk- / Lee

Shirt and support for this word