English
lealty
Lealty 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’
- Englishearliest quotation 1885lealty
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’
- Englishearliest quotation 1885lealty
Earliest quotation: 1885, Richard Francis Burton, Shammar edition: “[…] and kissed King Hasan's hands and did homage…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lie, fellow, lawyer, layer, log, litter, ledger, lair, ledge, lawless, lees, lig, underlay, lagan, lias, leaguer, 17 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lex ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
college, lay, illegal, legacy, delegation, colleague, delegate, collegiate, lex, legate, collegium, 7 more
through Latin lēgālis ‘legal’
through Old French loial ‘loyal’
through Old French loiauté ‘loyalty’
Today it means
noun loyalty, fealty
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *lēks / lealty