Etymograph

English

lochia

Lochia comes from Ancient Greek λοχεία, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-1‘to lie’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλοχεία1lokheía
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElochia1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1822lochia1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English lochia
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1822, Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal:: “In April 1819, I attended a young married lady…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-Wiktionary, English lochia‘to lie’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλοχείαWiktionary, English lochialokheía
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElochiaWiktionary, English lochia
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1822lochiaWiktionary, English lochia. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1822, Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal:: “In April 1819, I attended a young married lady…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’

law, college, legal, low, lie, lawyer, lay, fellow, layer, legacy, log, colleague, loyalty, loyal, delegation, litter, delegate, lex, ledger, ledge, lawless, collegiate, lair, lees, legate, leaguer, lig, leal, collegium, underlay, lagan, lias, 20 more

Today it means

noun Normal post-partum vaginal discharge; blood, mucus, and placental tissue that are discharged from a female's vagina (similar to menstruation) for several weeks after she has given birth.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “lochia”. 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- / lochia

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