*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Lamb

1. From Middle English lamb as a nickname. 2. From a short form of Lambert. 3. Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Luain. 4. Possibly also a translation of French agneau.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from Middle English. · An unincorporated community in Craig Township, Switzerland County, Indiana, United States. · An extinct town in Marion County, Missouri, United States. · An islet (small island) in the Firth of Forth, East Lothian council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT5386).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

1. From Middle English lamb as a nickname. 2. From a short form of Lambert. 3. Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Luain. 4. Possibly also a translation of French agneau.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lamb"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lamb"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "Ó Luain"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish Ó Luain"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "agneau"
      },
      "expansion": "French agneau"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lamb",
      "lamb#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Lambert",
      "Lambert"
    ],
    [
      "Ó Luain",
      "Ó Luain#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "agneau",
      "agneau#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Middle English.",
        "An unincorporated community in Craig Township, Switzerland County, Indiana, United States.",
        "An extinct town in Marion County, Missouri, United States.",
        "An islet (small island) in the Firth of Forth, East Lothian council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT5386)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "ba1fe488a068ed9cbff1e982315fbd7ab1cd654bfbb756b6c3009d1d9d492cba",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328484
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

Jesus; the Lamb of God · The constellation and zodiacal sign Aries.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See Lamb of God. See also lamb.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Lamb of God",
      "Lamb of God"
    ],
    [
      "lamb",
      "lamb"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Jesus; the Lamb of God",
        "The constellation and zodiacal sign Aries."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "7d5aded231f289cf5a27d188a3d6ab22f92f3d3f67124c2506489f72213abdab",
      "rawRecordSha256": "105bc5b45a12e1ec453d47eec97354338f7956e29525ebd606ae09df5326b18f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328485
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative letter-case form of lamb (“a fan of Mariah Carey”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

See lamb.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "lamb",
      "lamb"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of lamb (“a fan of Mariah Carey”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "8dc2dcc25935766e649e056c44a644bcedd7dde24404a91a17c738e5c648cf8a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5b5a18013ff07e512976a2a7a9df670af167e811287288aa547b34ce6212afb4",
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Lamb →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TGFtYg