Etymograph

English

laager

Laager comes from Dutch lager ‘camp’, from German Lager ‘place where one sleeps, such as a bed or a…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to be situated, lie’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-1‘to be situated, lie’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*legrą2‘a lying, a place where one lies’reconstructed
  3. Old High Germanc. 750–1050legar2
  4. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350leger2
  5. Germanc. 1650–presentLager2‘place where one sleeps, such as a bed or a spot in a barn, etc’
  6. Dutchc. 1500–presentlager2‘camp’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1897laager2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *legrą
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English laager
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1897, James Bryce: “Wagons […] can be readily formed into a laager,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *legrą‘to be situated, lie’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*legrąWiktionary, English laager‘a lying, a place where one lies’reconstructed
  3. Old High Germanc. 750–1050legarWiktionary, English laager
  4. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350legerWiktionary, English laager
  5. Germanc. 1650–presentLagerWiktionary, English laager‘place where one sleeps, such as a bed or a spot in a barn, etc’
  6. Dutchc. 1500–presentlagerWiktionary, English laager‘camp’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1897laagerWiktionary, English laager. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1897, James Bryce: “Wagons […] can be readily formed into a laager,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to be situated, lie’

low, law, legal, college, lie, fellow, legacy, log, lay, loyal, lawyer, delegation, layer, colleague, delegate, lex, litter, collegiate, ledge, lawless, lees, legate, lig, leal, collegium, lias, underlay, lagan, 22 more

through Proto-Germanic *legrą ‘a lying, a place where one lies’

lair, leaguer

through German Lager ‘place where one sleeps, such as a bed or a…’

lager

Today it means

noun A defensive encampment encircled by wagons, especially by South African Boers.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “laager”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Germanic *legrą. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- / laager

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