English
leman
Leman comes from Old English *lēofmann ‘a lover’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150*lēofmann‘a lover’reconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lemman
- Englishearliest quotation 1590leman
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150*lēofmann‘a lover’reconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lemman
- Englishearliest quotation 1590leman
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book I, Canto I: “Faire Venus seemde vnto his bed to bring Her,…”
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 *mann- ‘human being, person, man’
Proto-West Germanic *mann ‘person’
Old English mann ‘human being, person, man’
Middle English man
English man
The story
From Middle English lemman, variant of leofman, from Old English *lēofmann ("lover; sweetheart"; attested as a personal name), equivalent to lief + man ("beloved person"). In the past, incorrectly asserted to derive from French l'aimant (‘the [male] lover’).
Every English word from Old English *lēofmann
Today it means
noun One beloved; a lover, a sweetheart of either sex (especially a secret lover; a gallant or mistress).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English *lēofmann / leman