English
lewdly
Lewdly comes from Middle English lewedly ‘ignorantly, stupidly’, and goes back to Old English lǣwede ‘lay’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lǣwede‘lay’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lewed‘an ignorant or simple-minded individual’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500lewedly‘ignorantly, stupidly’
- Englishtodaylewdly
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150lǣwede‘lay’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lewed‘an ignorant or simple-minded individual’
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500lewedly‘ignorantly, stupidly’
- Englishtodaylewdly
Formed from lewd + -ly
Old English lǣwede ‘unlearned, ignorant, lay’
Middle English lewed ‘unlearned, lay, lascivious’
English lewd
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leh₂w- ‘military action’
through Proto-Hellenic *lāwós ‘people, crowd’
through Ancient Greek λᾱός ‘people’
through Late Latin laicus ‘of the people’
through Middle English lewed ‘an ignorant or simple-minded individual’
Today it means
adv In a lewd manner.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English lǣwede / lewdly