Etymology dictionary
liveried (adj.) — locomotion (n.)
liveried (adj.)
1630s, from livery (n.) in the sense "distinctive clothing given to servants."
Liverpool
English city on the River Mersey, c.1190, Liuerpul "Pool with Muddy Water," from Old English lifer "thick, clotted water" + pol (see pool (n.1)). "The original reference was to a pool or tidal creek now filled up into which two streams drained" [Victor Watts, "Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names," 2004]. The adjective and noun Liverpudlian (with jocular substitution of puddle for pool) is attested from 1833.
liverwort (n.)
late Old English liferwyrt, from lifer (see liver (n.1)) + wyrt (see wort). A loan-translation of Medieval Latin hepatica. Applied to various plants with liver-shaped leaves or that were used to treat liver disorders. Similar formation in German leberkraut.
liverwurst (n.)
also liver-wurst, 1852, partial translation of German Leberwurst "liver-sausage," from Leber "liver" (see liver (n.1)) + Wurst "sausage" (see wurst).
livestock (n.)
"domestic animals kept for use or profit," 1520s, from live (adj.) + stock (n.2) in its use as the collective term for "movable property of a farm," especially horses, cattle, sheep, and other useful animals; implements of husbandry sometimes were known as dead stock. Livestock also was, in old slang, "fleas, lice, etc." (1785).
liveware (n.)
"people," 1966, computer-programmer jargon, from live (adj.) + ending abstracted from software, etc. Compare old nautical slang live lumber "landsmen on board a ship" (1785).
lividity (n.)
early 15c., "bluish or leaden color," from Old French lividite and Medieval Latin lividitatem (nominative lividitas), noun of state from past participle stem of Latin livere "be bluish" (see livid).
livid (adj.)
early 15c., "of a bluish-leaden color," from Old French livide (13c.) and directly from Latin lividus "of a bluish color, black-and-blue," figuratively "envious, spiteful, malicious," from livere "be bluish," earlier *slivere, from PIE *sliwo-, suffixed form of root *sleiə- "bluish" (source also of Old Church Slavonic and Russian sliva "plum;" Lithuanian slyvas "plum;" Old Irish li, Welsh lliw "color, splendor," Old English sla "sloe").
Somehow it has come to be associated with "pale, colorless." The sense of "furiously angry" (1912) is from the notion of being livid with rage. Perhaps this is the key to the meaning shift. Rage makes some dark-red-faced; purple with rage is not uncommon in old novels (" 'My money! ye pirate! or I'll strangle you.' And he advanced upon him purple with rage, and shot out his long threatening arm, and brown fingers working in the air.") while it makes others go pale, also a figure in old novels ("At this juncture, the door opened, and, pale with rage, her eyes flashing fire, Lady Audley stood before them.")
livingness (n.)
"quality of being alive," 1680s, from living (adj.) + -ness.
living room (n.)
"room set up for ordinary family or social use, sitting-room," 1795 (as opposed to bedroom, dining room, etc.); from living (n.) + room (n.).
Livonia
former name of the region around northern Latvia and southern Estonia, also a former Baltic province of Russia, Modern Latin, ultimately from Estonian liiv "sand." Related: Livonian (1650s). The native name in English was Livland.
livre (n.)
former French money, 1550s, from French livre "pound," in Old French in both the weight and money senses (10c.), from Latin libra "pound (unit of weight);" see Libra. The monetary sense in Latin was in the derived word libella "small silver coin." Superseded by the franc.
lixiviate (v.)
"form into lye," 1758, from past participle stem of Modern Latin lixiviare, from Latin lixivium, neuter of lixivius "made into lye," from lix "ashes, lye," from PIE root *wleik- "to flow, run" (see liquid (adj.)). Related: Lixivial (1640s); lixivation (1717, earlier in French).
lizard (n.)
"an animal resembling a serpent, with legs added to it" [Johnson], late 14c., lusarde, from Anglo-French lusard, Old French laisarde "lizard" (Modern French lézard), from Latin lacertus (fem. lacerta) "lizard," a word of unknown origin. The ending in French and English is probably influenced by words in -ard.
It is identical to Latin lacertum "upper arm, muscular part of the arm, from the shoulder to the elbow" (opposed to bracchium), which suggests a pattern similar to that of Latin musculus "a muscle," literally "little mouse" (diminutive of mus "mouse"), so called because the shape and movement of the biceps were thought to resemble mice. It is unclear which Latin sense, the arm-muscle or the lizard, is original. De Vaan finds the words perhaps connected to Greek likertizein "to jump, dance," which Beekes finds likely from Pre-Greek.
Lizzie
pet form of fem. proper name Elizabeth, used colloquially for "a motor car" (especially an early-model Ford) from 1913; also tin lizzie (1915). From 1905 as "effeminate man;" by 1949 as "a lesbian," the past probably from the resemblance of sound.
Ljubljana
capital of Slovenia, the name is popularly associated with the Slavic word ljub "dear," but it is probably pre-Slavic and of obscure origin. The German form, Laibach, is from the Roman name, Labacum.
LL.
contraction of Latin legum "of laws, in degrees;" as in LL.D., which stands for Legum Doctor "Doctor of Laws." Plural abbreviations in Latin were formed by doubling the letter.
llama (n.)
wooly-haired South American ruminant, relative of the Old World camels, c. 1600, from Spanish llama (1535), from Quechua (Inca) llama.
Llanfair
common in Welsh place names, literally "St. Mary's Church," from Welsh llan "church" (see land (n.)) + Mair "Mary," with lentition of m- to f-.
llano (n.)
1610s, American Spanish, "prairie; treeless, level plain," especially that of South America north of the Amazon, from noun use of Spanish llano "plain, even, level, smooth," ultimately from Latin planus "smooth, flat, level" (from PIE root *pele- (2) "flat; to spread"). Hence llanero "Latin-American cowboy" (1819), literally "plainsman."
LLC
abbreviation of Limited Liability Company (see limited).
Llewelyn
male proper name, from Welsh Llywelin, often explained as "lion-like," but probably from llyw "leader."
Lloyd
male proper name, from Welsh Llwyd, literally "gray," from PIE root *pel- (1) "pale." Lloyd's, meaning the London-based association of marine underwriters, is first recorded as such 1805, from Lloyd's Coffee House, London, opened in 1688 by Edward Lloyd, who supplied shipping information to his patrons; merchants and underwriters met there to do business.
LMAO
by 1997, online abbreviation of laughing my ass off. Related: LMFAO (by 2000).
lo (interj.)
early 13c., from Old English la, exclamation of surprise, grief, joy, or mere greeting; probably merged with or influenced in Middle English by lo!, which is perhaps short for lok "look!" imperative of loken "to look" (see look (v.)). Expression lo and behold attested by 1779. In old U.S. slang, Lo was a generic name for an Indian or the Indians collectively (1871), from jocular use of Pope's line "Lo, the poor Indian" ["Essay on Man"].
loach (n.)
small edible European fish, mid-14c., from Old French loche "loach" (13c.), also, in dialect, "slug," a word of unknown origin (see discussion in Gamillscheg).
loaded (adj.)
1660s, "laden, burdened," past-participle adjective from load (v.). Of dice, from 1739 (in a French phrase book, translating des Dez chargés), in reference to the lead inserted to unbalance them. Sense of "rich, wealthy" is attested from 1910. Of guns, 1858. Slang meaning "drunk" is from 1886, probably from expression take one's load "drink one's fill" (1590s).
load (n.)
c. 1200, lode, lade "that which is laid upon a person or beast, burden," a sense extension from Old English lad "a way, a course, a carrying; a street, watercourse; maintenance, support," from Proto-Germanic *laitho (source also of Old High German leita, German leite, Old Norse leið "way, road, course"), from PIE root *leit- (2) "to go forth" (see lead (v.1)).
It seems to have expanded its range of senses in early Middle English, supplanting words based on lade (v.), to which it is not etymologically connected. The older senses went with the spelling lode (q.v.). The spelling is modern. Meaning "amount customarily loaded at one time" is from c. 1300; meaning "a quantity of strong drink taken" is from 1590s. Meaning "the charge of a firearm" is from 1690s.
Meaning "a great amount or number" (often loads) is from c.1600. Figurative sense of "burden weighing on the mind, heart, or soul" is first attested 1590s. Meaning "amount (of work, etc.) to be done by one person" is attested in compounds from 1939 (first was workload). Colloquial loads "lots, heaps" is attested from c. 1600. Phrase take a load off (one's) feet "sit down, relax" is from 1914, American English. Get a load of "take a look at" is American English colloquial, attested from 1929.
loading (n.)
1520s, verbal noun from load (v.).
load (v.)
late 15c., "to place in or on (a vehicle)," from load (n.). Sense of "add to the weight of, put a load in or on" is from c. 1500; sense of "to charge a firearm" is from 1620s. Intransitive sense "put or take on a load or charge" is from 1720; of a vehicle, "to fill with passengers," from 1832. Of computer files or programs, by 1977. Related: Loaded; loaden (the old strong past participle, persisting till 18c. in poetry but now obsolete); loading.
loader (n.)
late 15c., "person who loads," agent noun from load (v.). Of machinery, by 1862.
loadstone (n.)
see lodestone, and compare load (n.).
loaf (n.)
late 13c., from Old English hlaf "a portion of bread baked in a mass of definite form," from Proto-Germanic *khlaibuz, the common Germanic word for "bread" (source also of Old Norse hleifr, Swedish lev, Old Frisian hlef, Old High German hleib, German Laib, Gothic hlaifs "bread, loaf").
The Germanic root is of uncertain origin; it is perhaps connected to Old English hlifian "to raise higher, tower," on the notion of the bread rising as it bakes, but (according to OED) it is unclear whether "loaf" or "bread" is the original sense. Loaf also is disguised in lord and lady. Finnish leipä, Estonian leip, Old Church Slavonic chlebu, Lithuanian klepas probably are Germanic loan words.
The meaning "chopped meat shaped like a bread loaf" is attested from 1787. The figurative use of loaves and fishes to suggest "religious profession for the sake of personal gain" is from John vi.26.
loaf (v.)
1835, American English, apparently a back-formation from the earlier-attested loafer (1830). Related: Loafed; loafing. The noun meaning "an act of loafing" is attested from 1855.
loafer (n.)
"idler, person who loafs," 1830, of uncertain origin, often regarded as a shortened variant of land loper (1795), a partial loan-translation of German Landläufer "vagabond," from Land "land" + Läufer "runner," from laufen "to run" (see leap (v.)). But OED finds this connection "not very probable." As a type of shoe for informal occasions, 1937. Related: Loafers. By coincidence Old English had hlaf-aeta "household servant," literally "loaf-eater;" one who eats the bread of his master, suggesting the Anglo-Saxons might have still felt the etymological sense of lord as "loaf-guard."
loam (n.)
Old English lam "clay, mud, clayey or muddy earth," from Proto-Germanic *laimaz (source also of Old Saxon lemo, Dutch leem, German Lehm "loam"), from PIE root *(s)lei- "slimy" (source also of Latin limus "mud;" see slime (n.)).
In early use also the stuff from which God made man in His image. As the technical name for a type of highly fertile clayey soil, it is attested from 1660s. As a verb from c. 1600. Related: Loamed; loaming. Loamshire as a name for an imaginary typical rural English county is from "Adam Bede" (1859).
loamy (adj.)
early 13c., from loam (n.) + -y (2). Related: Loaminess.
loan (n.)
late 12c., "that which is lent or owning, a thing furnished on promise of future return," also "a gift or reward from a superior, a gift of God," from Old Norse lan "loan," from Proto-Germanic *laikhwniz (source also of Old Frisian len "thing lent," Middle Dutch lene, Dutch leen "loan, fief," Old High German lehan, German Lehn "fief, feudal tenure"), originally "to let have, to leave (to someone)," from PIE *loikw-nes-, suffixed form of root *leikw- "to leave."
The Norse word also is cognate with Old English læn "gift," which according to OED did not survive into Middle English, but its derived verb lænan is the source of lend (v.). From early 15c. as "a contribution to public finances" (ostensibly voluntary but often coerced; sometimes repaid, sometimes not). As a verb, loan is attested from 1540s, perhaps earlier, and formerly was current, but it has now been supplanted in England by lend, though it survives in American English. Slang loan shark first attested 1900 (see shark (n.)).
loaner (n.)
1884, "one who lends," agent noun from loan (v.), for which see loan (n.). Meaning "a thing loaned" especially in place of one being repaired, is from 1926. Related: Loanee (1832).
loan-translation (n.)
"process by which a word or phrase is translated literally from another language, keeping its original connotation," 1931, from German Lehnübersetzung (by 1905), properly "lend-translation," from lehnen "lend" (see lend (v.)). An earlier word for it was calque.
loan-word (n.)
"word taken untranslated from one language into another," 1860, a translation of German Lehnwort, properly "lend-word," from lehnen "lend" (see lend (v.)) + Word (see word (n.)).
loathe (v.)
Old English laðian "be hateful or displeasing," from lað "hated; hateful" (see loath). Cognate with Old Saxon lethon "be evil or hateful," Old Norse leiða "disgust." Main modern sense of "to hate, be disgusted with" is attested by c. 1200. Impersonal use (it loathes me = "I am disgusted with it") persisted through 16c. Related: Loathed; loathing.
loath (adj.)
Old English lað "hated; hateful; hostile; repulsive," from Proto-Germanic *laitha- (source also of Old Saxon leth, Old Frisian leed "loathsome," Old Norse leiðr "hateful, hostile, loathed;" Middle Dutch lelijc, Dutch leelijk "ugly;" Old High German leid "sorrowful, hateful, offensive, grievous," German leid "hateful, painful"), from PIE root *leit- (1) "to detest."
Weakened meaning "averse, disinclined" is attested from late 14c. "Rare in 17th and 18th cents.; revived in the 19th c. as a literary word" [OED]. Loath to depart, a line from some long-forgotten song, is recorded since 1580s as a generic term expressive of any tune played at farewells, the sailing of a ship, etc. French laid, Italian laido "ugly" are from the same Germanic source. The sense "ugly" persisted in English into 15c. in the marriage service, where a man took his wife for fayrer, for layther. Related: Loathness.
loathing (n.)
"abhorrence, revulsion; hatred," late 14c., verbal noun from loathe (v.). Old English had laðwendnes, from laðwende "hateful."
loathly (adj.)
Old English laðlic "hateful, horrible, unpleasant;" see loath + -ly (2). Similar formation in Old Frisian ledlik, Old Saxon lethlik, Old High German leidlih, Old Norse leiðiligr. Related: Loathliness. As an adverb, Old English laðlice.
loathsome (adj.)
c. 1300, "foul, detestable," from loath in its older, stronger sense + -some (1). Related: Loathsomely; loathsomeness.
lob (n.)
a word of widespread application to lumpish things or suggesting heaviness, pendence, or floppiness, probably ultimately from an unrecorded Old English word. Compare East Frisian lobbe "hanging lump of flesh," Dutch lob "hanging lip, ruffle, hanging sleeve," Danish lobbes "clown, bumpkin;" Old English lobbe "spider." From late 13c. as a surname; meaning "pollack" is from early 14c.; that of "lazy lout" is from late 14c. Meaning "thick mixture" is from 1839, originally in brewing.
lob (v.)
"send up in a slow, high arc," 1869, of artillery shells; 1875 of tennis strokes, of uncertain origin, perhaps somehow from some sense in lob (n.). Earlier the verb meant "to throw slowly or gently" in bowling (1824) Related: Lobbed; lobbing. The noun in the "high, arcing throw or hit" sense (originally in tennis) is from 1875, from the verb.
lobar (adj.)
"of or pertaining to a lobe or lobes," 1839, from modern Latin lobaris, from Latin lobus (see lobe (n.)).
lobate (adj.)
"having lobes," 1760, from Modern Latin lobatus "lobed," from lobus "a lobe" (see lobe). Related: Lobation.
lobby (n.)
1550s, "cloister, covered walk," from Medieval Latin laubia, lobia "covered walk in a monastery," from a Germanic source (compare Old High German louba "hall, roof;" see lodge (n.)).
Meaning "large entrance hall in a public building" is from 1590s; in reference to the House of Commons from 1630s. Political sense of "those who seek to influence legislation" is attested by 1790s in American English, in reference to the custom of influence-seekers gathering in the large entrance-halls outside legislative chambers.
lobby (v.)
"seek to influence legislation" (originally by frequenting the lobby of a legislature, to solicit members), 1826, American English, from lobby (n.) in the political sense. Related: Lobbied; lobbying.
lobbyist (n.)
1863, American English, from lobby (n.) in the political sense + -ist.
lobe (n.)
early 15c., "a lobe of the liver or lungs," from Medieval Latin lobus "a lobe," from Late Latin lobus "hull, husk, pod," from Greek lobos "lobe, lap, slip; vegetable pod," used of lap- or slip-like parts of the body or plants, especially "earlobe," but also of lobes of the liver or lungs, a word of unknown origin. It is perhaps related to Greek leberis "husk of fruits," from PIE *logwos. Beekes writes that the proposed connection with the PIE source of English lap (n.1)) "is semantically attractive." Extended 1670s to divisions of the brain; 1889 to ice sheets. The common notion is "rounded protruding part."
loblolly (n.)
"thick gruel," especially as a typical rustic dish, also the word for a nautical medicinal remedy, 1590s, probably from lob in some sense (or perhaps it is imitative of bubbling and boiling) + lolly, an obsolete Devonshire dialect word for "broth, soup, food boiled in a pot." Compare lobscouse (1706), another obscure word for a sailor's dish. Meaning "loutish person, bumpkin" is from c. 1600. Loblolly-pine "swamp-pine, an inferior lumber-producing tree growing in the U.S. South" is from 1760.
lobo (n.)
large gray wolf of the U.S. southwest, 1859, from Spanish lobo "a wolf," from Latin lupus (see wolf (n.)).
lobotomize (v.)
1943; see lobotomy + -ize. Related: Lobotomized.
lobotomy (n.)
1936, coined from lobe (in the brain sense) + medical suffix -tomy "a cutting." Figurative use is attested from 1953. Lobectomy (attested from 1911) was in use earlier in reference to lobes of other organs (lungs, liver).
lobster (n.)
large, long-tailed, stalk-eyed, 10-legged marine shellfish (Homarus vulgaris), early Middle English lopster, lopister, from Old English loppestre "lobster," also "locust," a corruption of Latin locusta, lucusta "marine shellfish, lobster;" also "locust, grasshopper," which is of unknown origin. De Vaan writes that "The only word similar in form and meaning is lacerta 'lizard; mackerel', but there is no common preform in sight. ... [T]hey could be cognate words in the language from which Latin borrowed these forms."
The change of Latin -c- to English -p- (and, from late 14c., to -b-) is unexplained; perhaps it is by influence of Old English loppe, lobbe "spider." The ending seems to have been altered by the old fem. agent noun suffix (preserved in Baxter, Webster, etc.; see -ster), which approximated the sound of Latin -sta.
OED says the Latin word originally meant "lobster or some similar crustacean, the application to the locust being suggested by the resemblance in shape." Trilobite fossils in Worcestershire limestone quarries were known colloquially as locusts, which seems to have been the generic word for "unidentified arthropod" (as apple was for "foreign fruit"). Locusta in the sense "lobster" also appears in Old Cornish legast and French langouste (12c.), now "crawfish, crayfish," but in Old French both "lobster" and "locust" (a 13c. psalter has God giving over the crops of Egypt to the langoustes).
As slang for "a British soldier" since 1640s, originally in reference to the jointed armor of the Roundhead cuirassiers, later (1660) to the red coat, the color of a boiled lobster.
lobsterman (n.)
1823, American English, from lobster (n.) + man (n.).
locative (n.)
"grammatical case indicating 'place,' or 'the place wherein,'" 1804, formed as if from Latin *locativus, from locus "a place, spot, position" (see locus) on model of Latin vocativus "vocative" (from vocatus, past participle of vocare "to call, summon"). The case itself has been reconstructed as part of the Indo-European heritage and is well-preserved in some descendants, notably Sanskrit and Lithuanian; it survives elsewhere in relics, but Germanic abandoned it long ago. As an adjective by 1817, in grammatical use, 1841.
locable (adj.)
1816, "that can be placed," from Latin locare "to place, put, set, arrange," (from locus "a place;" see locus) + -able. Alternative formation locatable is attested from 1838.
locale (n.)
1816, false spelling of local in a sense "a place, a locality, a scene," especially with reference to circumstances connected with it, from this sense in French local, noun use of local (adj.), from Latin locus "a place" (see locus). The English spelling with -e probably is based on morale and intended to indicate stress.
locality (n.)
1620s, "fact of having a place," from French localité (16c.), from Late Latin localitatem (nominative localitas) "locality" (as a quality of bodies), from localis "belonging to a place, pertaining to a place," from Latin locus "a place, spot" (see locus). Meaning "a geographical place or district" is from 1830.
localize (v.)
"make local, assign to a particular place," 1792, from local (adj.) + -ize. Related: Localized; localizing; localizable (1847, originally of diseases).
locally (adv.)
mid-15c., "with respect to space or place," from local (adj.) + -ly (2). From 1803 as "with regard to a particular place or region."
localism (n.)
1803, "attachment to a particular locality," from local (adj.) + -ism. Always tending toward "limitation through local attachment, provincialism." Meaning "something (especially a way of speech) characteristic of a particular locality" is from 1823.
localitis (n.)
"obsession with the problems of one's locality and consequent failure to see big pictures," 1943, U.S. World War II jargon, originally of military strategists, from local (adj.) + transferred use of medical suffix -itis.
local (adj.)
late 14c., "pertaining to position," originally medical: "confined to a particular part of the body;" from Old French local "local" (13c.) and directly from Late Latin localis "pertaining to a place," from Latin locus "a place, spot" (see locus).
The meaning "limited to a particular place" is from c. 1500. Local color is from 1721, originally a term in painting; the meaning "anything picturesque" is from c. 1900. Local option (1868, American English) is from the prohibition movement: "the right of a community to vote on whether to allow the sale of intoxicating liquor there." Local talent "attractive women thereabouts" is from 1947 in UK slang; earlier it was used in reference to entertainment acts in shows, radio broadcast, etc.
local (n.)
early 15c., "a medicament applied to a particular part of the body," from local (adj.). The Old French adjective also was used as a noun, "place, position." Meaning "inhabitant of a particular locality" is from 1825. The meaning "local item in a newspaper" is from 1869; that of "a local train" is from 1879; "local branch of a trade union" is from 1888; "neighborhood pub" is from 1934.
localise (v.)
chiefly British English spelling of localize. For suffix, see -ize. Related: Localised; localising; localisation.
localist (n.)
"one focused on local conditions," 1680s, from local (adj.) + -ist. Related: Localistic "tending to see things as of local nature or origin" (1882).
Locarno
place in Switzerland; a 1925 conference held there between Germany and other European powers led to treaties for the preservation of peace and the security of borders.
location (n.)
1590s, "position, place; fact or condition of being in a particular place," from Latin locationem (nominative locatio) "a placing," noun of action from past-participle stem of locare "to place, put, set," from locus "a place" (see locus). Meaning "act of placing or settling" is from 1620s. Of tracts of land, "act of fixing the boundaries of by survey," 1718, hence "a bounded or marked-off parcel of ground" (1792). The Hollywood sense of "place outside a film studio where a scene is filmed" is from 1914.
locator (n.)
c. 1600, "one who lets (something) for hire," a legal term, from Latin locator "one who lets," agent noun from locare "to put, place, set," from locus "a place" (see locus). As "one who settles upon land by legal right of possession," 1803, American English. Of things which locate, from 1902.
locational (adj.)
1904, from location + -al (1).
locate (v.)
1650s, intransitive, "establish oneself in a place, settle, adopt a fixed residence," from Latin locatus, past participle of locare "to place, put, set, dispose, arrange," from locus "a place" (see locus).
Transitive sense of "to fix (something) in a place, settle or establish (something) in a particular spot" is from 1739, American English, originally of land surveys. And via the notion of "mark the limits of" (a parcel of land) the sense of the verb extended to "establish (something) in a place" (1807) and "find out the exact place of" (1882, American English). Related: Located; locating.
locavore (n.)
one who eats only locally grown or raised food, by 2001, from local (adj.) + ending abstracted from carnivore, etc., ultimately from Latin vorare "to devour" (from PIE root *gwora- "food, devouring").
loc. cit.
abbreviation of Latin loco citato or locus citatus "in the place (already) cited;" hence, "in the book that has been previously quoted." See locus, cite. In use in English books by 1704.
loch (n.)
late 14c., from Gaelic loch "lake, lake-like body," including the narrow, nearly land-locked arms of the sea found in the glacier-scoured landscape of west Scotland; cognate with Old Irish loch "body of water, lake," Breton lagen, Anglo-Irish lough, Latin lacus (see lake (n.1)). "The word was adopted in ONorthumbrian as luh" [OED]. The diminutive form is lochan.
The phrase Loch Ness monster is attested by 1934, the thing itself under slightly different names from 1933. The loch is named for the river Ness that flows out of it at Inverness; the river name is probably from an Old Celtic word meaning "roaring one."
lochia (n.)
"discharge from the uterus after childbirth," 1680s, Modern Latin, from Greek lokhia "childbirth," neuter plural of lokhios "pertaining to childbirth," from lokhos "a lying in, childbirth," also, "an ambush," from PIE root *legh- "to lie down, lay." Related: Lochial. Greek Lokhia also was an epithet or surname of Artemis in her aspect as protectress of women in childbirth; in this case it is the fem. of the adjective lokhios.
lock (n.1)
"means of fastening," Old English loc "bolt, appliance for fastening a door, lid, etc.; barrier, enclosure; bargain, agreement, settlement, conclusion," from Proto-Germanic *lukana-, a verbal root meaning "to close" (source also of Old Frisian lok "enclosure, prison, concealed place," Old Norse lok "fastening, lock," Gothic usluks "opening," Old High German loh "dungeon," German Loch "opening, hole," Dutch luik "shutter, trapdoor").
Ordinary mechanical locks work by means of an internal bolt or bar which slides and catches in an opening made to receive it. "The great diversity of meaning in the Teut. words seems to indicate two or more independent but formally identical substantival formations from the root" [OED]. The Old English sense "barrier, enclosure" led to the specific meaning "barrier on a stream or canal" (c. 1300), and the more specific sense "gate and sluice system on a water channel used as a means of raising and lowering boats" (1570s).
From 1540s as "a fastening together," hence "a grappling in wrestling" (c. 1600). In firearms, the part of the mechanism which explodes the charge (1540s, probably so called for its resemblance to a door-latching device), hence figurative phrase lock, stock, and barrel (which add up to the whole firearm) "the whole of something" (1842). Phrase under lock and key attested from early 14c.
lock (v.)
c. 1300, "to fasten with a lock, shut or confine with a lock." The sense is narrowed from that of Old English lucan "to lock, to close" (class II strong verb; past tense leac, past participle locen), from the same verbal root that yielded lock (n.1). The form is from the noun (perhaps reinforced by Old Norse loka); the old original strong verb survived as dialectal louk, and the strong past participle locken lingered a while, as in Middle English loken love "hidden love, clandestine love" (early 14c.).
The Old English verb is cognate with Old Frisian luka "to close," Old Saxon lukan, Old High German luhhan, Old Norse luka, Gothic galukan. Meaning "to fasten parts together" is from late 14c., originally of armor; of persons, "to embrace closely," from mid-14c. Related: Locked; locking. Locked "securely established" is from early 15c. To lock (someone) in "shut in a place" is from c. 1400. Slang lock horns "fight" is from 1839.
lock (n.2)
"tress of hair," Old English locc "lock of hair, curl" (plural loccas), from Proto-Germanic *lukkoz (source also of Old Norse lokkr, Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Dutch lok, Old High German loc, German Locke "lock of hair"), a word of uncertain origin. According to OED, perhaps from a PIE *lugnos- and related to Greek lygos "pliant twig, withe," Lithuanian lugnas "flexible" (see reluctance).
lockable (adj.)
1832, from lock (v.) + -able. Related: Lockability.
lock-box (n.)
"a box with a lock" (for keeping valuables, etc.), 1855, from lock (n.1) + box (n.1). Earlier as the name of the metal box containing the external lock mechanism on a door.
lockdown (n.)
also lock-down, from late 19c. in various mechanical senses, from the verbal phrase; see lock (v.) + down (adv.). Prison sense is by 1975, American English.
Lockean (adj.)
1831, "pertaining to or characteristic of John Locke" (1632-1704), greatest of the English metaphysicians. The surname means one with fine curls or else one who lives near, or operates, a canal lock.
locker (n.)
"small chest that can be locked," late 14c., agent noun from Middle English lokken (see lock (v.)). Especially for individual use in companies of men, as on shipboard or in military regiments. As a characteristic of high school life, 20c. Earlier the word meant "a mechanism for locking" (early 14c.).
locket (n.)
mid-14c., "iron cross-bar of a window," from Old French loquet "door-handle, bolt, latch, fastening" (14c.), diminutive of loc "lock, latch," from Frankish or some other Germanic source (compare Old Norse lok "fastening, lock;" see lock (n.1)). Meaning "little ornamental case with hinged cover" (containing a lock of hair, miniature portrait, etc.) first recorded 1670s. Italian lucchetto also is from Germanic.
lock-jaw (n.)
also lockjaw, 1786, earlier locked-jaw (1765), popular name for trismus, also applied to tetanus, from lock (v.) + jaw (n.).
lockout (n.)
also lock-out, "act of excluding from a place by locking it up," especially of management locking out workers in labor disputes (1854) but also in 19c. the exclusion of a teacher from the schoolhouse by his pupils as an act of protest. From the verbal phrase lock (someone) out, which is attested from mid-14c. in the sense "turn or keep out (of a place), bar the doors against" (see lock (v.) + out (adv.)).
locksmith (n.)
"a maker of locks," early 13c., from lock (n.1) + smith (n.).
lock-step (n.)
1802, in military writing, to describe a very tight style of mass marching, from lock (n.1) + step (n.).
Figurative use by 1836.
lock-up (n.)
also lockup, "detention cell for offenders," 1838, perhaps short for earlier lock-up house; from the verbal phrase. Meaning "action of locking up" is from 1845. The verbal phrase lock (someone) up in a dwelling, prison, etc., is from early 15c. Of things, "to hold in safekeeping or concealment," also early 15c. See lock (v.) + up (adv.). To lock up (intransitive) "lock all the doors" (of a house, shop, etc.) is from 1901.
loco-
word-forming element meaning "from place to place," from combining form of Latin locus "a place" (see locus).
loco (adj.)
"mad, crazy," 1844, American English, from Spanish loco (adj.) "insane," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Arabic lauqa, fem. of 'alwaq "fool, crazy person." Loco-weed was the name given to species of western U.S. plants that cause cattle and horse diseases that make them stagger and act strangely. But the adjective seems to be the older word.
loco-foco (n.)
also locofoco, American English, said to date from 1834 in the sense "self-igniting cigar or friction match," of obscure origin. The first element is apparently a misapprehension of the loco- in locomotive ("a word just then becoming familiar" [Century Dictionary]) as "self-, self-moving-." The second element is perhaps a jingling reduplication of this, or somehow from Spanish fuego "fire."
Better remembered, if at all, as a political term: During a heated Democratic party meeting in Tammany Hall c. 1835, the opposition doused the gaslights to break it up, and the radical delegates used loco-foco matches to relight them. When it was publicized, the name loco-foco entered U.S. political jargon (by 1837) and down to the Civil War was applied, usually disparagingly, to a radical faction of the Democratic Party (but by the Whigs to all Democrats).
locomote (v.)
1831, back-formation from locomotion.
locomotive (adj.)
1610s, "pertaining to movement," from French locomotif, from Latin loco "from a place" (ablative of locus "place;" see locus) + Late Latin motivus "moving" (see motive).
From 1650s as "moving from place to place;" by 1814 as "having the power of moving by itself. The noun meaning "engine which travels on rails by its own power" is from 1829, short for locomotive engine, which is attested from 1814. A locomotive engine used without rails was a traction engine, which became tractor.
locomotion (n.)
1640s, "action or power of motion," from Latin loco "from a place" (ablative of locus "a place;" see locus) + motionem (nominative motio) "motion, a moving" (see motion (n.)). From 1788 as "movement from place to place."