English word origin

Etymology of Lyon

From French Lyon (supplanting earlier Lyons, derived from the Old French nominative form), from the Roman name, Latin Lugdūnum (“fort of Lug”), named after Lugus, a Celtic deity, from Proto-Celtic *Lugus.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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

The third largest city in France; the capital of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. · A metropolitan authority in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, outside of Rhône department, which includes the city of Lyon and most of its suburbs; in full, the Metropolis of Lyon. · A town in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States, named after the French city.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionLyonfr
Derivation mentionLugdūnumla
Derivation mention*Luguscel-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "Lyon"
      },
      "expansion": "French Lyon"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "Lugdūnum",
        "4": "",
        "5": "fort of Lug"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin Lugdūnum (“fort of Lug”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel"
      },
      "expansion": "Celtic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-pro",
        "3": "*Lugus"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Celtic *Lugus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Lyon",
      "Lyon#French"
    ],
    [
      "Lyons",
      "Lyons#English"
    ],
    [
      "Lugdūnum",
      "Lugdunum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*Lugus",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/Lugus"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "The third largest city in France; the capital of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.",
        "A metropolitan authority in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, outside of Rhône department, which includes the city of Lyon and most of its suburbs; in full, the Metropolis of Lyon.",
        "A town in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States, named after the French city."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "224b3cd0e16caba34a1e326d0aeff87ece2c1dfc78275befd658c8f472d475ca",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0d2697634189eaf7d557186c1d391e4403c911b3e22c93c0c4a3c18de8c5a89c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 489895
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname transferred from the nickname. · An unincorporated community and township in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. · A number of other townships in the United States, listed under Lyon Township.

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

From Middle English lyon (“lion”), as a nickname, or from a sign often used outside of roadside inns and adopted as a family name by those who lived there (compare Bush). Doublet of Leo, leu, lev, and lion.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionlyonenm
Doublet mentionLeoen
Doublet mentionleuen
Doublet mentionleven
Doublet mentionlionen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lyon",
        "4": "",
        "5": "lion"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lyon (“lion”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Leo",
        "3": "leu",
        "4": "lev",
        "5": "lion"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of Leo, leu, lev, and lion"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lyon",
      "lyon#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Bush",
      "Bush#English"
    ],
    [
      "Leo",
      "Leo#English"
    ],
    [
      "leu",
      "leu#English"
    ],
    [
      "lev",
      "lev#English"
    ],
    [
      "lion",
      "lion#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname transferred from the nickname.",
        "An unincorporated community and township in Franklin County, Missouri, United States.",
        "A number of other townships in the United States, listed under Lyon Township."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f400b68e9b2d2e8c2e657047ed8d2bbc1a30dcb80f092f6ff86dcf821505c71d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "60d53f41ddc19913ca7cc5ee4f0f286fc0b835368d6d8624d1429cb5aec8c5d4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 489896
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 Lyon →

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-THlvbg