English
disloyalty
Disloyalty comes from Old French loiauté ‘loyalty’, from Latin lēgālis ‘legal’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElex‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgālis‘legal’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400loial‘loyal’by way of Latin legālis
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400loiauté‘loyalty’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400desloiauté
- Englishtodaydisloyalty
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElex‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgālis‘legal’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400loial‘loyal’by way of Latin legālis
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400loiauté‘loyalty’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400desloiauté
- Englishtodaydisloyalty
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lie, lawyer, fellow, layer, log, litter, ledger, ledge, lawless, lair, lees, leaguer, lig, underlay, lagan, lias, 18 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lex ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
college, lay, illegal, legacy, colleague, delegation, delegate, lex, collegiate, legate, collegium, 8 more
through Latin lēgālis ‘legal’
through Old French loial ‘loyal’
Today it means
noun An act of being disloyal; a betrayal, faithbreach.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *lēks / disloyalty