English
leeftail
Leeftail comes from Old English lēoftǣle ‘kind, lovable, loving, dear, grateful, agreeable’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lēoftǣleas lēoftǣl‘kind, lovable, loving, dear, grateful, agreeable’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*leftalreconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation 1839leeftail
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lēoftǣleas lēoftǣl‘kind, lovable, loving, dear, grateful, agreeable’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*leftalreconstructed
- Englishearliest quotation 1839leeftail
Earliest quotation: 1839, Ann Coward Wheeler, Dialogues: “Markets hes been terrable laa this lang time, hardly…”
Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- ‘to desire, love’
…
Proto-Germanic *leubaz ‘dear, beloved’
Proto-West Germanic *leub ‘dear, beloved’
Old English lēof ‘dear, beloved’
Middle English lef ‘beloved, dear’
English lief
Proto-Germanic *talō ‘narration, speech; number, calculation’
Proto-Germanic *taljaną ‘to enumerate, count; to recount, tell’
Proto-West Germanic *talljan ‘to count; to recount, tell’
Old English tellan ‘to count, calculate; to tell, narrate’
Middle English tellen ‘to count, tell’
English tell
Every English word from Old English lēoftǣle
Today it means
adj High in demand; quickly sold.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English lēoftǣle / leeftail