English
laity
Laity comes from Latin laitas, from Ancient Greek λαός ‘people’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂w- ‘military action’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₂w-1‘military action’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₂wos1‘people (under arms)’uncertain
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*lāwós2‘people, crowd’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλαός3laós‘people’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElaitas3
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400laite3
- Englishtodaylaity3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Hellenic *lāwós
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek λαός, which cites Beekes
- 3 Wiktionary, English laity
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₂w-Wiktionary, Proto-Hellenic *lāwós‘military action’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₂wosWiktionary, Proto-Hellenic *lāwós‘people (under arms)’uncertain
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*lāwósWiktionary, Ancient Greek λαός, which cites Beekes‘people, crowd’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλαόςWiktionary, English laitylaós‘people’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElaitasWiktionary, English laity
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400laiteWiktionary, English laity
- EnglishtodaylaityWiktionary, English laity
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leh₂w- ‘military action’
through Proto-Indo-European *leh₂wos ‘people (under arms)’
through Proto-Hellenic *lāwós ‘people, crowd’
Today it means
noun People of a church who are not ordained clergy or clerics.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “laity”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Hellenic *lāwós, Ancient Greek λαός. 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 *leh₂w- / laity