English
lucy
Lucy comes from Latin lūcius ‘a fish, probably the pike’, from 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’
- Englishearliest quotation 1895lucy
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’
- Englishearliest quotation 1895lucy
Earliest quotation: 1895, The Gentleman's Magazine, January to June issue: “That a lucy or luce is the mature pike,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’
light, low, link, los, ounce, lea, lunar, luna, illumination, illuminate, lynx, luminous, translucent, lumen, luminosity, lucid, lumia, lucerne, luminescent, leucine, luminary, lune, lum, lucent, luminal, 73 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 northern pike (a kind of fish).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewk- / lucy