English word origin

Etymology of liss

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

Relief; ease; abatement; cessation; release. · Comfort; happiness. · A respite from pain.

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

From Middle English lis, lisse, lysse, from Old English liss, līs, līþs (“grace, favor, love, kindness, mercy, joy, peace, rest, remission, forgiveness, alleviation, salvation”), from Proto-Germanic *linþisjō (“rest”), from Proto-Indo-European *lent- (“bendsome, resilient”). Cognate with Danish lise (“solace, relief”), Swedish lisa (“solace, relief”). Related to Old English līþe (“lithe, soft, gentle, meek, mild, serene, benign, gracious, pleasant, sweet”). See lithe.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionlisenm
Inherited-form mentionlissang
Inherited-form mention*linþisjōgem-pro · rest
Derivation mention*lent-ine-pro · bendsome, resilient
Cognate mentionliseda
Cognate mentionlisasv · solace, relief
Cognate mentionlīþeang · lithe, soft, gentle, meek, mild, serene, benign, gracious, pleasant, sweet

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": "lis"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lis"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "liss"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English liss"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*linþisjō",
        "t": "rest"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *linþisjō (“rest”)"
    },
    {
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        "3": "*lent-",
        "t": "bendsome, resilient"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *lent- (“bendsome, resilient”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "lise",
        "3": "",
        "4": "solace, relief"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish lise (“solace, relief”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "lisa",
        "t": "solace, relief"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish lisa (“solace, relief”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "līþe",
        "t": "lithe, soft, gentle, meek, mild, serene, benign, gracious, pleasant, sweet"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English līþe (“lithe, soft, gentle, meek, mild, serene, benign, gracious, pleasant, sweet”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lis",
      "lis#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lisse",
      "lisse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lysse",
      "lysse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "liss",
      "liss#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "līs",
      "lis#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "līþs",
      "liþs#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*linþisjō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/linþisjō"
    ],
    [
      "*lent-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/lent-"
    ],
    [
      "lise",
      "lise#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "lisa",
      "lisa#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "līþe",
      "liþe#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "lithe",
      "lithe#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Relief; ease; abatement; cessation; release.",
        "Comfort; happiness.",
        "A respite from pain."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "uncountable",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To ease; lighten; relieve; abate. · To cease; stop.

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

From Middle English lissen, lyssen, from Old English lissan (“to subdue”), from Old English liss. Cognate with Swedish lisa (“to soften, weaken”). See above.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionlissenenm
Inherited-form mentionlissanang · to subdue
Derivation mentionlissang
Cognate mentionlisasv · to soften, weaken

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": "lissen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lissen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lissan",
        "t": "to subdue"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lissan (“to subdue”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "liss"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English liss"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "lisa",
        "t": "to soften, weaken"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish lisa (“to soften, weaken”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lissen",
      "lissen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lyssen",
      "lyssen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lissan",
      "lissan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "liss",
      "liss#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "lisa",
      "lisa#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To ease; lighten; relieve; abate.",
        "To cease; stop."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive",
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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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 liss →

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-bGlzcw