Etymology
1. "means of fastening," O.E.
loc "bolt, fastening, enclosure," from P.Gmc.
*lokom/*lukom (cf. O.N.
lok "fastening, lock," Goth.
usluks "opening," O.H.G.
loh "dungeon," Ger.
Loch "opening, hole," Du.
luck "shutter, trapdoor"). "The great diversity of meaning in the Teut. words seems to indicate two or more independent but formally identical substantival formations from the root." The river sense is from c.1300, on notion of "barrier, enclosure." Wrestling sense is from 1608. The
lock of a firearm (1547) probably so called for its resemblance to a door-latching device.
Locksmith first attested 1226.
Locker is c.1440, from M.E.
lokken. The verb is c.1300, from O.E.
lucan "to lock, to close" (class II strong verb; past tense
leac, pp.
locen). Slang
lock horns "fight" is from 1839.
Lock-up "detention cell for offenders" is from 1839.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *lewg-der.
4. Proto-Germanic *luką
5. Proto-West Germanic *lok
6. Old English loc
7. Middle English lok
8. English lock
9. From Middle English lok, from Old English loc, from Proto-West Germanic *lok, from Proto-Germanic *luką from Proto-Indo-European *lewg- (“to bend; turn”).
10. Cognate with Cimbrian loch, lòch (“hole”), Dutch lok (“hole”), German Loch (“hole”), German Low German Lock (“hole”), Luxembourgish Lach (“hole”), Vilamovian łöch (“hole”), Yiddish לאָך (lokh, “hole”), Danish låg (“lid, cover”), Norwegian Bokmål lokk (“lid, cover”), Norwegian Nynorsk lok, lokk (“lid, cover”).
11. more detail
12. The verb is from Middle English locken, lokken, louken, from Old English lūcan, Proto-West Germanic *lūkan, from Proto-Germanic *lūkaną. Cognate with Dutch luiken (“to close, to shut”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål lukke (“to close, to shut”), Faroese lúka (“to end, to finish”), Icelandic ljúka (“to close, to shut”), Norwegian Nynorsk lukka (“to close, to shut”). Related to luxe via Latin. See: Proto-Germanic '
*lūkaną', Dutch '
luiken', Norwegian '
lukke', Faroese '
lúka', Icelandic '
ljúka', Norwegian, nynorsk '
lukka'.
Verbs referencing "lock"
Seselwa Creole French loke.