English word origin

Etymology of lough

Borrowed from Irish loch (from Old Irish loch), from Proto-Celtic *loku (“lake, pool”), from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“pond, pool”). Doublet of lay, loch, and Looe.

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 ↗

noun

A lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland.

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

Borrowed from Irish loch (from Old Irish loch), from Proto-Celtic *loku (“lake, pool”), from Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“pond, pool”). Doublet of lay, loch, and Looe.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionlochga
Derivation mentionlochsga
Derivation mention*lokucel-pro
Derivation mention*lókusine-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "loch"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Irish loch"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sga",
        "3": "loch"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Irish loch"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-pro",
        "3": "*loku",
        "4": "",
        "5": "lake, pool"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Celtic *loku (“lake, pool”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*lókus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "pond, pool"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *lókus (“pond, pool”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lay",
        "3": "loch",
        "4": "Looe",
        "id1": "lake"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of lay, loch, and Looe"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "loch",
      "loch#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "loch",
      "loch#Old_Irish"
    ],
    [
      "*loku",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/loku"
    ],
    [
      "*lókus",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/lókus"
    ],
    [
      "lay",
      "lay#English:_lake"
    ],
    [
      "loch",
      "loch#English"
    ],
    [
      "Looe",
      "Looe#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A lake or long, narrow inlet, especially in Ireland."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland"
      ],
      "recordId": "bdd18e63fb116c88378ec4b0e090989f8b4e57c48a971684d678530bc3757b39",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

lake, pool

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

From Middle English lough, logh, luh, borrowed from Cumbric *luch, derived from Proto-Brythonic *lux, from Proto-Celtic *lokus (“lake, pool”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionloughenm
Derivation mention*luchxcb
Derivation mention*luxcel-bry-pro
Derivation mention*lokuscel-pro

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": "lough"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lough"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xcb",
        "3": "*luch"
      },
      "expansion": "Cumbric *luch"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-bry-pro",
        "3": "*lux"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Brythonic *lux"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-pro",
        "3": "*lokus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "lake, pool"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Celtic *lokus (“lake, pool”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lough",
      "lough#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "logh",
      "logh#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "luh",
      "luh#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*luch",
      "Reconstruction:Cumbric/luch"
    ],
    [
      "*lux",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Brythonic/lux"
    ],
    [
      "*lokus",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/lokus"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "lake, pool"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Cumbria",
        "Northumbria"
      ],
      "recordId": "20c9b6e38b2f3e5a9c2d6b2fac70b100841b3cc74354bd25952b8326db8b1af6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "479851bffb9ee76b1447c53181c4094e4a066384e5076675e30c77a6f9e6e765",
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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 lough →

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-bG91Z2g