Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/lāsu

This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-West Germanic

Etymology

From apparent Proto-Germanic *lēswō, speculated from pre-Germanic *leh₁d(s)tweh₂, equivalent to Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to let”) +‎ *-þwō. However since this word is restricted to Saxon, a borrowing from Proto-Slavic *lěsъ (“grove”) is attractive. Its actual cognate could be Latin lūcus (“grove, wood”).^[1]

Noun

*lāsu f

letting, allowing
pasture

Inflection

wō-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*lāsu
Genitive	*lāswā
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*lāsu	*lāswō
Accusative	*lāswā	*lāswā
Genitive	*lāswā	*lāswō
Dative	*lāswē	lāswōm, lāsum
Instrumental	*lāsu	lāswōm, lāsum

Alternative reconstructions

*laisu, *lēsu

Descendants

Old English: lǣs (“a letting, allowance”)
- ⇒ Old English: blōdlǣs (“blood-letting”)
- ⇒ Old English: blōdlǣswu (“blood-letting”)
Old English: lǣs (“pasture, leasow”)
- Middle English: leswe, lesewe, leesewe
  - Scots: lesu, lesoue; lesour, lesure
  - English: lease; lessow, leasow
Old Saxon: lēsa; lās (“meadow; pasture; leigh; clearing in the woods”)

References

^ Orr, Robert A. (2003) “Murk: A Neglected Slavic Loanword in Germanic?”, in Canadian Slavonic Papers‎, volume 45, number 1/2, page 51

[1] Orr, Robert A. (2003) “Murk: A Neglected Slavic Loanword in Germanic?”, in Canadian Slavonic Papers‎, volume 45, number 1/2, page 51

[1]

Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/lāsu

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