English
lissom
Lissom comes from Middle English lithsum, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *leyt-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyt-root as named · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lithsum
- Englishearliest quotation 1824lissom
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyt-root as named · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lithsum
- Englishearliest quotation 1824lissom
Earliest quotation: 1824, Mary Russell Mitford, A Country Cricket-match: “Now, our country lads, [...] are so much better…”
Formed from lithe + -some
Proto-Indo-European *lentos
Proto-Germanic *linþaz ‘bendsome’
Proto-West Germanic *linþ(ī) ‘gentle’
Old English līþe ‘gentle, mild’
Middle English lithe
English lithe
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leyt-
Today it means
adj Flexible and graceful in movement; lithe.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leyt- / lissom