Etymograph

English

leave

Leave comes from Middle English leven ‘to leave’, from Proto-Germanic *lībaną ‘to stay, remain’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- ‘to stick’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyp-1‘to stick’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lībaną1‘to stay’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*laibijaną1‘to let stay’reconstructedcausative of *lībaną
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*laibijan1‘to leave behind’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150lǣfan1‘to leave’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500leven1‘to leave’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1485leave1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English leave
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, xj: “And whanne sire launcelot sawe them fare soo /…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyp-Wiktionary, English leave‘to stick’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lībanąWiktionary, English leave‘to stay’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*laibijanąWiktionary, English leave‘to let stay’reconstructedcausative of *lībaną
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*laibijanWiktionary, English leave‘to leave behind’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150lǣfanWiktionary, English leave‘to leave’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500levenWiktionary, English leave‘to leave’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1485leaveWiktionary, English leave. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, xj: “And whanne sire launcelot sawe them fare soo /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *leyp- ‘to stick’

living, live, lib, lipid, lifeguard, eleventh, lifeless, lipa, 14 more

through Proto-Germanic *lībaną ‘to stay, remain’

life, alive, twelve, lively, eleven, lave, 10 more

through Old English lǣfan ‘to leave’

left, 1 more

Another origin of leave

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰ-‘to love, hold dear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*laubō‘permission, privilege, favour, worth’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150lēaf‘permission, privilege’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500leve
  5. Englishtodayleave

Another origin of leave

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewbʰ-‘to love, hold dear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*laubijaną‘to allow, praise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*laubijan‘to allow’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150līefan‘to allow, grant, concede’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500leven
  6. Englishtodayleave

Today it means

verb To cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting (something) entirely.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “leave”. 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 *leyp- / leave

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