English
lecher
Lecher comes from Old French lecheor ‘glutton, sensualist, libertine’, from Frankish *likkōn ‘to lick’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyǵʰ-‘to lick’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*likkōną‘to lick’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*likkōn‘to lick’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lecher
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400lecheor‘glutton, sensualist, libertine’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lechour
- Englishearliest quotation 2000lecher
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyǵʰ-‘to lick’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*likkōną‘to lick’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*likkōn‘to lick’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lecher
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400lecheor‘glutton, sensualist, libertine’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lechour
- Englishearliest quotation 2000lecher
Earliest quotation: 2000, Deborah Payne Fisk, The Cambridge Companion to English Restoration Theatre: “The comedies work in very obvious ways to feminize…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leyǵʰ- ‘to lick’
cunnilingus, lichen, slake, 4 more
through Proto-Germanic *likkōną ‘to lick’
Today it means
noun A lecherous person: someone given to excessive sexual activity or debauchery.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leyǵʰ- / lecher