English
Leonard
Leonard comes from Old French Leonard.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400Leonard
- Englishearliest quotation 1844same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400Leonard
- Englishearliest quotation 1844same form
Earliest quotation: 1844, Catherine Gore, The Birthright and Other Tales: “- - - save the delight of being called…”
A compound of leo ‘lion’ + hart ‘hard’
Proto-Indo-European *kret- ‘strong, powerful’
Proto-Indo-European *kort-ús
Proto-Germanic *harduz ‘hard’
Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī) ‘hard’
Old High German hart ‘hard’
Every English word from Old French Leonard
Today it means
name A male given name from the Germanic languages.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old French Leonard / Leonard