Etymograph

English

lox

Lox comes from Yiddish לאַקס ‘salmon’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *laks-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*laks-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lahsaz1‘salmon’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*lahs1‘salmon’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050lahs1
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350lahs1
  6. Yiddishmodernלאַקס2laks‘salmon’
  7. Englishtodaylox2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Yiddish לאַקס
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English lox

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*laks-Wiktionary, Yiddish לאַקסreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lahsazWiktionary, Yiddish לאַקס‘salmon’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*lahsWiktionary, Yiddish לאַקס‘salmon’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050lahsWiktionary, Yiddish לאַקס
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350lahsWiktionary, Yiddish לאַקס
  6. YiddishmodernלאַקסWiktionary, English loxlaks‘salmon’
  7. EnglishtodayloxWiktionary, English lox

Linked words

through Proto-West Germanic *lahs ‘salmon’

lax

Today it means

noun Salmon that is cured in brine and then smoked at a low temperature so that the flesh remains uncooked.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “lox”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Yiddish לאַקס. 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 *laks- / lox

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