English
loll
Loll comes from Middle English lollen.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lollen
- Englishearliest quotation 1697loll
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lollen
- Englishearliest quotation 1697loll
Earliest quotation: 1697, Virgil, The Eighth Book of the Æneis: “Nor thy reſiſtleſs Arm the Bull withſtood: / Nor…”
The story
From Middle English lollen, lullen (‘to lounge idly, hang loosely’), of uncertain origin; the Middle English Dictionary suggests a derivation from Middle Dutch lollen, lullen (‘to doze; to mumble, talk nonsense’), though the words could merely be cognate.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- ‘to bark, howl’
latent, lament, loom, lethargic, lull, laika, alastor, lethe, 16 more
Today it means
verb To act lazily or indolently while reclining; to lean; to lie at ease.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English lollen / loll