*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lite

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *linhtaz Proto-West Germanic *lį̄ht Old English lēoht Middle English light English light English lite Variation of light (in the sense of lacking weight, s

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 ↗
adj

Abridged or lesser; being a simpler or unpaid version of a product. · Light in composition, notably low in fat, calories etc. Most commonly used commercially. · Lightweight · Informal spelling of light.

noun

Archaic form of light (“window or aperture in a building”). · A window pane

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *linhtaz Proto-West Germanic *lį̄ht Old English lēoht Middle English light English light English lite Variation of light (in the sense of lacking weight, substance, etc.)

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "light<id:lacking weight>",
        "id": "light",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-der.\nProto-Germanic *linhtaz\nProto-West Germanic *lį̄ht\nOld English lēoht\nMiddle English light\nEnglish light\nEnglish lite\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁lengʷʰ-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*linhtaz\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*lį̄ht\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"lēoht\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"lyghte\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"light\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"lite\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"light\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"lite\" id=\"English:_light\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "light<id:lacking weight>",
        "id": "light",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-der.\nProto-Germanic *linhtaz\nProto-West Germanic *lį̄ht\nOld English lēoht\nMiddle English light\nEnglish light\nEnglish lite"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₁lengʷʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁lengʷʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "*linhtaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/linhtaz"
    ],
    [
      "*lį̄ht",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/lį̄ht"
    ],
    [
      "lēoht",
      "leoht#Old_English:_lacking_weight"
    ],
    [
      "light",
      "lyghte#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "light",
      "light#English:_lacking_weight"
    ],
    [
      "light",
      "light#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Abridged or lesser; being a simpler or unpaid version of a product.",
        "Light in composition, notably low in fat, calories etc. Most commonly used commercially.",
        "Lightweight",
        "Informal spelling of light."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "postpositional",
        "usually",
        "alt-of",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "121e7250705738225b5056a7689d52f2ec40e7a421f2460491526a9229fb475c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5450c9f48d239d21b1f2025a18f5cab0877938ca6c4197185242aa49673480fc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 159357
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Archaic form of light (“window or aperture in a building”).",
        "A window pane"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "8be0ab55b6521e35556723e7c9e1e6ef427a91f7d6b62cb2126aae6572346144",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ab4a815053a71afd797c5d28feb88b1add768c861141f694879b0332b9e2e10f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 159358
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

few; little

noun

A little, bit.

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

From Middle English lit, lut (“little”), from Old English lȳt.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionlitenm
  • Inherited-form mentionlȳtang
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "little"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lit"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lit"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lȳt"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lȳt"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "little"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lit",
      "lit#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lut",
      "lut#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lȳt",
      "lyt#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "few; little"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "43c39244f9a572b3b45f0a82c56caf860ddf8e104816773e0963158351194f67",
      "rawRecordSha256": "237e52d1ffb4bcf7a3563d507590fb36e9eb71f05843120e1550a9696cf0aa80",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 159360
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A little, bit."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "b271b0dbb37e55a02e1f615ab8716ea27a92df92868db0894e8cb61e2a701c04",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d1f71c09deb9a576f5589f586f9ec2aac9ddc924d3e70845378c2e7585c21238",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 159359
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To expect; wait. · To rely.

noun

The act of waiting; a wait.

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

From Middle English liten, from Old Norse hlíta (“to rely on, trust, abide by”). Cognate with Icelandic hlíta (“to comply”), Swedish lita (“to trust, rely on, depend on, confide in”), Danish lide (“to trust”).

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": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "trust"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "liten",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English liten"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "hlíta",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to rely on, trust, abide by"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse hlíta (“to rely on, trust, abide by”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "hlíta",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to comply"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic hlíta (“to comply”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "lita",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to trust, rely on, depend on, confide in"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish lita (“to trust, rely on, depend on, confide in”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "lide",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to trust"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish lide (“to trust”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "id": "trust"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "liten",
      "liten#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hlíta",
      "hlíta#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "hlíta",
      "hlíta#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "lita",
      "lita#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "lide",
      "lide#Danish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To expect; wait.",
        "To rely."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "b8a9478cd40ae8763d8a025c0bb381efa424e4517122769ddefcfd5cc11c7a35",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c0a90afa8becec2a9089ec44efe243356fa8ac0f22ebf945684fa136107eb545",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 159361
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The act of waiting; a wait."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "c15599100dc6886c6aabc5e74941e56a3e4fed955540c0c2f63f2ed5033152b3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7b56d4bdaaa00bfc53dd25f9ef0f316d910b7155d13842627db331f580bdb0bc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 159362
    }
  ],
  "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 lite →

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-bGl0ZQ