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 Old English and Old Saxon, it is sometimes also speculated to be a borrowing from Proto-Slavic *lěsъ (“grove”).

Noun

*lāsu f

1. letting, allowing
2. 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: lese, leese, leyes, leyse
    • English: lease
  • ⇒ Middle English: leswe, leesewe, leseo, lesewe, lesow, lesue, liswe, lewse (East Anglia), lesour, lesu (Early Scots)
    • English: leasow
    • Middle Scots: lesoue; lesour, leasure
      • Scots: lizour, lizur (obsolete)
• Old Saxon: lēsa; lās (“meadow; pasture; leigh; clearing in the woods”)