*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lain

Inflected forms.

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

past participle of lie (“to be oriented in a horizontal position, situated”) · past participle of lay (“to put down”)

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

Inflected forms.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "past participle of lie (“to be oriented in a horizontal position, situated”)",
        "past participle of lay (“to put down”)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "participle",
        "past",
        "nonstandard"
      ],
      "recordId": "1494f3c281e1188810302d075c1d6d8584794cdc249bb76b4885a8888ea6630d",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8a86735324b4a854ee5ac9ccef85119d940d4badb585356a7d3607fb70e3e376",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 31547
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To conceal, keep quiet about.

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

From Middle English lainen, leynen, from Old Norse leyna (“to conceal”) and Old English līeġnan (“to deny; conceal”); both from Proto-Germanic *laugnijaną, from Proto-Germanic *laugnō (“secrecy”).

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": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lainen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lainen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "leyna",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to conceal"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse leyna (“to conceal”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "līeġnan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to deny; conceal"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English līeġnan (“to deny; conceal”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*laugnijaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *laugnijaną"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*laugnō",
        "4": "",
        "5": "secrecy"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *laugnō (“secrecy”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lainen",
      "lainen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "leynen",
      "leynen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "leyna",
      "leyna#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "līeġnan",
      "liegnan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*laugnijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/laugnijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*laugnō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/laugnō"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To conceal, keep quiet about."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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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 lain →

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-bGFpbg