English word origin

Etymology of lair

From Middle English leir, leire, lair, lare, from Old English leġer (“couch, bed”), from Proto-Germanic *legrą, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-.

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 ↗

noun

A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground. · A shed or shelter for domestic animals. · A place inhabited by a criminal or criminals, a superhero or a supervillain; a refuge, retreat, haven or hideaway. · A bed or resting place.

verb

To rest; to dwell. · To lay down. · To bury.

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

From Middle English leir, leire, lair, lare, from Old English leġer (“couch, bed”), from Proto-Germanic *legrą, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Root classification mention*legʰ-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionleirenm
Inherited-form mentionleġerang · couch, bed
Inherited-form mention*legrągem-pro
Derivation mention*legʰ-ine-pro

This page abbreviates 2 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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        "3": "*legʰ-"
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    },
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    },
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      },
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    },
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      "leir",
      "leir#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "leire",
      "leire#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "lair",
      "lair#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "lare",
      "lare#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "leger#Old_English"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/legrą"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/legʰ-"
    ]
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        "A place inhabited by a wild animal, often a cave or a hole in the ground.",
        "A shed or shelter for domestic animals.",
        "A place inhabited by a criminal or criminals, a superhero or a supervillain; a refuge, retreat, haven or hideaway.",
        "A bed or resting place."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A bog; a mire.

verb

To mire. · To become mired.

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

From Old Norse leir (“clay, mud”). Compare Icelandic leir (“clay”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionleirnon
Cognate mentionleiris

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      },
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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "leir",
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      },
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    }
  ],
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    [
      "leir",
      "leir#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "leir",
      "leir#Icelandic"
    ]
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A person who dresses in a showy but tasteless manner and behaves in a vulgar and conceited way; a show-off.

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

Backformation from lairy.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "pos": "noun",
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        "A person who dresses in a showy but tasteless manner and behaves in a vulgar and conceited way; a show-off."
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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 lair →

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-bGFpcg