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Origin and history of *leg-

*leg-(1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak" on the notion of "to gather words, to pick out words."

It might form all or part of: alexia; analects; analogous; analogue; analogy; anthology; apologetic; apologue; apology; catalogue; coil; colleague; collect; college; collegial; Decalogue; delegate; dialect; dialogue; diligence; doxology; dyslexia; eclectic; eclogue; elect; election; epilogue; hapax legomenon; homologous; horology; ideologue; idiolect; intelligence; lectern; lectio difficilior; lection; lector; lecture; leech (n.2) "physician;" legacy; legal; legate; legend; legible; legion; legislator; legitimate; lesson; lexicon; ligneous; ligni-; logarithm; logic; logistic; logo-; logogriph; logopoeia; Logos; -logue; -logy; loyal; monologue; neglect; neologism; philology; privilege; prolegomenon; prologue; relegate; sacrilege; select; syllogism; tautology; trilogy.

It might also be the source of: Greek legein "to say, tell, speak, declare; to count," originally, in Homer, "to pick out, select, collect, enumerate;" lexis "speech, diction;" logos "word, speech, thought, account;" Latin legere "to gather, choose, pluck; read," lignum "wood, firewood," literally "that which is gathered," legare "to depute, commission, charge," lex "law" (perhaps "collection of rules"); Albanian mb-ledh "to collect, harvest;" Gothic lisan "to collect, harvest," Lithuanian lesti "to pick, eat picking;" Hittite less-zi "to pick, gather."

Entries linking to *leg-

alexia(n.)

"inability to read" as a result of some mental condition, 1878, from Greek a- "not" (see a- (3)) + abstract noun from lexis "a speaking or reading," from legein "to speak," from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak (to 'pick out words')."

analects(n.)

1650s, "literary gleanings," from Latin analecta, from Greek analekta, literally "things chosen," neuter plural of analektos "select, choice," verbal adjective of analegein "to gather up, collect," from ana "up" (see ana-) + legein "to gather," also "to choose words," hence "to speak" (from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather").

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analogous
"corresponding (to some other) in particulars," 1640s, from Latin analogus, from Greek analogos "proportionate, according to due proportion," from ana "throughout; according to" (see ana-) + logos "ratio, proportion," a specialized use (see Logos). Used with to or with. A term i
analogue
1826, "an analogous thing," from French analogue (adj. and n.), from Latin analogus (adj.), from Greek analogos "proportionate, according to due proportion," from ana "throughout; according to" (see ana-) + logos "ratio, proportion," a specialized use (see Logos). The word was us
analogy
early 15c., "correspondence, proportion," from Old French analogie or directly from Latin analogia, from Greek analogia "proportion," from ana "upon, according to" (see ana-) + logos "ratio," also "word, speech, reckoning" (from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with deriv
hose
late 13c., "covering of woven cloth or leather for the lower part of the leg, with or without feet," from late Old English...hosa "covering for the leg," from Proto-Germanic *huson- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Norse hosa "covering for the leg...between the knee and ankle," Middle High German hose "covering for the leg," German Hose "trousers," Danish hose "hose,..., the covering of the lower part of the leg and foot being called the stocking or nether-stock....
jamb
side-piece of an opening of a door, window, etc., early 14c., from Old French jambe "pier, side post of a door," originally "a leg..., shank" (12c.), from Late Latin gamba "leg, (horse's) hock," which is from Greek kampē "a bending," (on notion...The Greek word also was borrowed in Albanian as këmbë "leg, foot."...
lock-step
A mode of marching by a body of men going one after another as closely as possible, in which the leg of each moves at the...same time with and closely follows the corresponding leg of the person directly before him....
fibula
As "smaller bone in the lower leg" from 1706, from a Latin loan-translation of Greek perone "small bone in the lower leg,...
asylum
early 15c., earlier asile (late 14c.), "place of refuge, sanctuary," from Latin asylum "sanctuary," from Greek asylon "refuge, fenced territory," noun use of neuter of asylos "inviolable, safe from violence," especially of persons seeking protection, from a- "without" (see a- (3)
silver lining
a "bright side" which proverbially accompanies even the darkest trouble; by 1843, apparently from oft-quoted lines from Milton's "Comus," where the silver lining is the light of the moon shining from behind the cloud. Was I deceived? or did a sable cloud Turn forth her silver
text
late 14c., "wording of anything written," from Old French texte, Old North French tixte "text, book; Gospels" (12c.), from Medieval Latin textus "the Scriptures, text, treatise," in Late Latin "written account, content, characters used in a document," from Latin textus "style or

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