English
ledgment
Ledgment comes from Middle English legement ‘ledgement, stringcourse’, from legge ‘bracing’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-‘to lie’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*logʰéyeti‘to lay, make lie’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lagjaną‘to lay, to place in a resting position’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*laggjan‘to lay, to place’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150leċġan‘to put or place’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500leyen‘to put, lay’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500legge‘bracing’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500legement‘ledgement, stringcourse’
- Englishearliest quotation 1831ledgment
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-‘to lie’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*logʰéyeti‘to lay, make lie’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lagjaną‘to lay, to place in a resting position’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*laggjan‘to lay, to place’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150leċġan‘to put or place’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500leyen‘to put, lay’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500legge‘bracing’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500legement‘ledgement, stringcourse’
- Englishearliest quotation 1831ledgment
Earliest quotation: 1831, Peter Nicholson: “HIP - ROOFS IN LEDGMENT”.
Formed from ledge + -ment
Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie, recline’
Proto-Germanic *lagjō ‘layer, stratum’
Proto-West Germanic *laggju ‘layer, strip, ledge, rung, bar’
Old English leċġ ‘bar, crossbeam’
Middle English legge
English ledge
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, college, legal, lie, fellow, lawyer, layer, log, loyal, legacy, colleague, delegation, litter, delegate, collegiate, lex, lair, lawless, ledger, lees, lig, legate, leaguer, lagan, collegium, leal, lias, 21 more
through Old English leċġan ‘to put or place’
through Middle English leyen ‘to put, lay’
through Middle English legge ‘bracing’
Today it means
noun A stringcourse or horizontal suit of mouldings, such as the base mouldings of a building.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- / ledgment