English
lawlessly
Lawlessly comes from Middle English laweles ‘not following the law or discipline’, from lawe ‘a snide or pithy axiom or statement of a…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-‘to lie’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lagą‘situation’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350lag‘stratum, layer’
- Old Norse, derivedc. 800–1350lǫg‘fate’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lagu‘law’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lawe‘a snide or pithy axiom or statement of a general truth’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500laweles‘not following the law or discipline’
- English1500–presentlawless
- Englishtodaylawlessly
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-‘to lie’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lagą‘situation’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350lag‘stratum, layer’
- Old Norse, derivedc. 800–1350lǫg‘fate’
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lagu‘law’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lawe‘a snide or pithy axiom or statement of a general truth’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500laweles‘not following the law or discipline’
- English1500–presentlawless
- Englishtodaylawlessly
A compound of lawless + -ly
Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
…
Old Norse lǫg ‘fate’
Old English lagu ‘law’
Middle English lawe ‘a snide or pithy axiom or statement of a…’
Middle English laweles ‘not following the law or discipline’
English lawless
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
low, college, legal, lie, fellow, layer, loyal, legacy, colleague, delegation, litter, delegate, ledger, collegiate, lex, ledge, lair, lees, lig, legate, leaguer, leal, collegium, underlay, lias, 22 more
through Proto-Germanic *lagą ‘situation’
through Old Norse lǫg ‘fate’
through Middle English lawe ‘a snide or pithy axiom or statement of a…’
Today it means
adv In a lawless manner.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- / lawlessly