English
land
Land comes from Middle English lond ‘an independent nation, country or realm’, from Proto-West Germanic *land ‘land, area of ground’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lendʰ-‘land’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*landąreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*land‘land’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150land
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lond‘an independent nation’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1592land
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lendʰ-‘land’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*landąreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*land‘land’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150land
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lond‘an independent nation’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1591–1592land
Earliest quotation: c. 1591–1592, William Shakespeare, The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]: “I'll undertake to land them on our coast.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- ‘land, heath’
lawn, lend, lumbar, loma, lasagna, loin, outlandish, 11 more
Another origin of land
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlandą‘urine’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hland‘urine’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hland‘urine’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*landreconstructed
- Englishtodayland
Today it means
noun The part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lendʰ- / land