Etymograph

English

limn

Limn comes from Old French enluminer ‘to brighten, light up’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *lewk-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-1‘bright’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léwksmn̥1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louksmən1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūmen1‘light, source of light’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūminō1‘light up’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEillūminō2‘to brighten, light up’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400enluminer2‘to brighten, light up’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500limnen2
  9. Englishearliest quotation a. 1627limn2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin illumino
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English limn
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1627, Francis Bacon, [Poems Found among the Papers of Sir Henry Wotton.] The Worl: “Who then to frail Mortality ſhall truſt, / But…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-Wiktionary, Latin illumino‘bright’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*léwksmn̥Wiktionary, Latin illuminoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louksmənWiktionary, Latin illuminoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūmenWiktionary, Latin illumino‘light, source of light’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūminōWiktionary, Latin illumino‘light up’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEillūminōWiktionary, English limn‘to brighten, light up’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400enluminerWiktionary, English limn‘to brighten, light up’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500limnenWiktionary, English limn
  9. Englishearliest quotation a. 1627limnWiktionary, English limn. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1627, Francis Bacon, [Poems Found among the Papers of Sir Henry Wotton.] The Worl: “Who then to frail Mortality ſhall truſt, / But…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’

low, light, los, link, lucy, ounce, lunar, luna, lea, lux, lucid, translucent, lynx, luce, lum, lune, loach, leucine, luminary, 73 more

through Latin lūmen ‘light, source of light’

luminous, lumen, luminosity, lumia, luminescent, luminal, 18 more

through Latin illūminō ‘to brighten, light up’

illumination, illuminate, 2 more

Today it means

verb To draw or paint; to delineate.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “limn”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin illumino. 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 *lewk- / limn

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