English
leister
Leister may come from Middle English *lēster.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*lēsteruncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1792leister
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*lēsteruncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1792leister
Earliest quotation: 1792, William Wright, Number XII. Parish of Newabbey. (Stewartry of Kirkcudbright.: “The methods of catching the ſalmon in this pariſh…”
The story
From earlier leyster, lister, perhaps via Middle English *lēster, *līster, from Old Norse ljóstr (‘leister’), from ljósta (‘to smite, strike; to hit, strike (with an arrow or spear)’), from Proto-Germanic *leustaną (‘to hit, strike’), from Proto-Indo-European *lew-s- (‘to loosen (by knocking)’); the word is cognate with Danish lyster (‘fish spear, gig, leister’), Icelandic ljósta (‘to hit, strike’), Norwegian Bokmål lyster (dialectal Norwegian lioster), Swedish ljuster.
Every English word from Middle English *lēster
Today it means
noun A spear armed with three or more barbed prongs for catching fish, particularly salmon.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English *lēster / leister