English
lottery
Lottery comes from Italian lotto, from Proto-Germanic *hlutą ‘fate’, and ultimately from *hleutaną ‘to cast lots’.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hleutaną1‘to cast lots’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlutą2‘fate’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*hlot2reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lot2
- Italianc. 1300–presentlotto3
- Italianc. 1300–presentlotteria4
- Englishtodaylottery4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hlutą
- 2 Wiktionary, Italian lotto
- 3 Wiktionary, Italian lotteria
- 4 Wiktionary, English lottery
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hleutanąWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hlutą‘to cast lots’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlutąWiktionary, Italian lotto‘fate’reconstructed
- Frankishc. 250–700*hlotWiktionary, Italian lottoreconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400lotWiktionary, Italian lotto
- Italianc. 1300–presentlottoWiktionary, Italian lotteria
- Italianc. 1300–presentlotteriaWiktionary, English lottery
- EnglishtodaylotteryWiktionary, English lottery
Equivalent to lot + -ery
Proto-Germanic *hleutaną ‘to cast lots’
Proto-Germanic *hlutą ‘lot’
Proto-West Germanic *hlut
Old English hlot ‘portion’
Middle English lot
English lot
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *hlutą ‘fate’
through Italian lotto
Today it means
noun A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “lottery”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *hlutą, Italian lotto, Italian lotteria. 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-Germanic *hleutaną / lottery