Etymograph

English

lewis

Lewis comes from Middle English lewis.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lewis1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1835lewis1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English lewis
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1835, Andrew Ure, The philosophy of manufactures: “After the preeming period, the lads are put either…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lewisWiktionary, English lewis
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1835lewisWiktionary, English lewis. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1835, Andrew Ure, The philosophy of manufactures: “After the preeming period, the lads are put either…”

The story

Possibly from Old French lous, plural of lou, loup (“the name of a kind of siege engine”, literally “wolf”); or related to clevis.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

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Today it means

noun A cramp iron inserted into a cavity in order to lift heavy stones; used as a symbol of strength in Freemasonry.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “lewis”. 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 / Middle English lewis / lewis