Lemizh / English dictionary
782 lemmata in dictionary – view complete dictionary on one page (slow!) – multilingual dictionary
làxt.
want, wish something-acc [from someone-dat]; [someone-dat] to do something-acc (see unit 13, Overview of the modals)
Etymology
< NLem, LMLem, MLem lint‑a ‘touch’
< OLem lint‑
< PLem *lint‑, nasal-infix present of
< PIE *lei̯t‑
The modern meaning has developed from the notion ‘touch with one’s mind’. The similarity with dàxt. ‘must’ is pure coincidence.
Cognates
Gk λιτέσθαι ‘beg, implore’
The word is said to mean ‘laugh [3rd person singular]’ (semantic development perhaps via ‘tickle’) in an obscure central European language, but this has never been confirmed.