English
luce
Luce comes from Old French lus ‘pike (fish)’, from Latin lūx ‘light’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léwks‘something bright, white’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louks‘light’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūx‘light’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElūcius‘a fish, probably the pike’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lus‘pike (fish)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1603luce
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léwks‘something bright, white’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louks‘light’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūx‘light’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElūcius‘a fish, probably the pike’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lus‘pike (fish)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1603luce
Earliest quotation: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “As wee hunt after beasts, so Tygers and Lyons…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’
light, low, link, los, lea, ounce, lunar, luna, illumination, illuminate, lynx, luminous, lumen, luminosity, translucent, lucid, lumia, leucine, luminary, lune, lum, luminescent, luminal, 75 more
through Proto-Indo-European *léwks ‘something bright, white’
through Latin lūx ‘light’
through Latin lūcius ‘a fish, probably the pike’
Today it means
noun The pike, Esox lucius, when fully grown.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewk- / luce