Etymograph

English

loyal

Loyal comes from Old French loial, from Latin lēgālis ‘legal’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-1‘to lie’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lḗgʰs1uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks1‘law’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElex2‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgālis3‘legal’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400loial3
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600loyal3
  8. Englishtodayloyal3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin lex
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin legalis
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English loyal

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-Wiktionary, Latin lex‘to lie’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lḗgʰsWiktionary, Latin lexuncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēksWiktionary, Latin lex‘law’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElexWiktionary, Latin legalis‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgālisWiktionary, English loyal‘legal’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400loialWiktionary, English loyal
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600loyalWiktionary, English loyal
  8. EnglishtodayloyalWiktionary, English loyal

Linked words

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

law, low, lie, lawyer, fellow, layer, log, litter, ledger, ledge, lawless, lair, lees, leaguer, lig, underlay, lagan, lias, 18 more

through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’

illegality, relegate, 6 more

through Latin lex ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’

college, lay, illegal, legacy, colleague, delegation, delegate, lex, collegiate, legate, collegium, 8 more

through Latin lēgālis ‘legal’

legal, leal, 4 more

through Old French loial

disloyalty, 2 more

Today it means

adj Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “loyal”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin lex, Latin legalis. 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- / loyal

Shirt and support for this word