læs

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Danish las, læs, from Old Norse hlass n, from Proto-Germanic *hlassą (“load”), cognate with Norwegian lass, Swedish lass. The Danish form has taken over the vowel from the verb læsse. The Germanic noun is derived from the verb *hlaþaną (“to load”), hence Old Norse hlaða (“to stack”), Danish lade.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

læs n (singular definite læsset, plural indefinite læs)

1. load, lot

Declension

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Verb

læs

1. imperative of læse

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Verb

læs

1. imperative of læsse

Icelandic

Etymology

See lesa (“to read”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -aiːs

Adjective

læs (comparative læsari, superlative læsastur)

1. literate (able to read)
2. insightful, perceptive

Inflection

Anagrams

• sæl

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /læːs/

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *lāsu.

Noun

lǣs f

1. pasture

Declension

Descendants

• Middle English: leswe, lesewe, leesewe
  • Scots: lesu, lesoue; lesour, lesure
  • English: lease, lessow, leasow

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *laisiz (“smaller, lesser, fewer, lower”), from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to shrink, grow thin, become small, be gentle”); see also Old Frisian lēs (“less”), Old Saxon lēs (“less”).

Adverb

lǣs

2. less

Related terms

• lǣssa
• lǣswian

Descendants

• Middle English: lesse, lesce, lasse; leasse, leas
  • English: less
  • Yola: lhose, lass

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “less”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.