English word origin

Etymology of lade

From Middle English laden, from Old English hladan and Old English hleadan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlaþan, from Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną (“to load”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂- (“to put, lay out”).

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 ↗

verb

To fill or load (related to cargo or a shipment). · To weigh down, oppress, or burden. · To use a ladle or dipper to remove something (generally water). · To transfer (molten glass) from the pot to the forming table, in making plate glass.

noun

A load.

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.

Inherited-form mentionladenenm
Inherited-form mentionhladanang
Inherited-form mentionhleadanang
Inherited-form mention*hlaþangmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*hlaþanągem-pro · to load
Derivation mention*kleh₂-ine-pro · to put, lay out

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "laden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English laden"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hladan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hladan"
    },
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        "3": "hleadan"
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      "expansion": "Old English hleadan"
    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną (“to load”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*kleh₂-",
        "t": "to put, lay out"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂- (“to put, lay out”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "laden",
      "laden#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hladan",
      "hladan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hleadan",
      "hleadan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hlaþan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hlaþan"
    ],
    [
      "*hlaþaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hlaþaną"
    ],
    [
      "*kleh₂-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/kleh₂-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To fill or load (related to cargo or a shipment).",
        "To weigh down, oppress, or burden.",
        "To use a ladle or dipper to remove something (generally water).",
        "To transfer (molten glass) from the pot to the forming table, in making plate glass."
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    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A load."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The mouth of a river. · A passage for water; a ditch or drain. · (mill lade) A mill race. · Water pumped into and out of mills, especially woolen mills.

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

From Middle English lad, from Old English lād, from Proto-Germanic *laidō (“a way, course”). Related to lode, lead (“to conduct”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionladenm
Inherited-form mentionlādang
Inherited-form mention*laidōgem-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lad"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lad"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lād"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lād"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*laidō",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a way, course"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *laidō (“a way, course”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lad",
      "lad#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lād",
      "lad#Old_English"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/laidō"
    ],
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      "lode",
      "lode#English"
    ],
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      "lead",
      "lead#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
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        "The mouth of a river.",
        "A passage for water; a ditch or drain.",
        "(mill lade) A mill race.",
        "Water pumped into and out of mills, especially woolen mills."
      ],
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        "dialectal",
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        "Scotland"
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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 lade →

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-bGFkZQ