Etymograph

English

lorgnon

Lorgnon comes from French lorgnon ‘lorgnette’, from lorgner ‘to ogle’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘to see’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-1‘to see’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lūrni-1reconstructed
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentlorgner2‘to ogle’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentlorgnon3‘lorgnette’
  5. Englishtodaylorgnon3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, French lorgner
  2. 2 Wiktionary, French lorgnon
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English lorgnon

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-Wiktionary, French lorgner‘to see’uncertain
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lūrni-Wiktionary, French lorgnerreconstructed
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentlorgnerWiktionary, French lorgnon‘to ogle’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentlorgnonWiktionary, English lorgnon‘lorgnette’
  5. EnglishtodaylorgnonWiktionary, English lorgnon

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘to see’

light, low, link, los, lucy, ounce, lunar, luna, lea, lux, illuminate, lucid, translucent, illumination, lumen, lynx, luminous, luce, lumia, luminosity, lum, lune, leucine, luminescent, luminary, luminal, loach, 73 more

Today it means

noun lorgnette, opera glass

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “lorgnon”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for French lorgner, French lorgnon. 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- / lorgnon

Shirt and support for this word