Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "loyal" come from? It comes from Latin legalis, passing through Old French before entering English (1530s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "loyal" come from? It comes from Latin legalis, passing through Old French before entering English (1530s).
Loyal’s story begins in Latin: legalis meant “legal.” From 'lex', law: faithful to the law. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as loial. 'loyal' and 'legal' are doublets. It reached English by 1530s as loyal. 'loyalist' dates from the 1640s. Today, loyal means giving firm support to someone.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient legalis "legal", from 'lex', law: faithful to the law.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval loial "faithful", 'loyal' and 'legal' are doublets.
- Stage 3 · English · 1530s loyal "faithful", 'loyalist' dates from the 1640s.