lew

adjective \ ˈlü \

Definition of lew

1 now dialectal British : moderately warm : lukewarm

2 now dialectal British : ²lee 1

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Origin and Etymology of lew

Middle English lew, lewe “warm, tepid,” going back to Old English *hlēow in hlēowe “warmly” (also unhlēow “cold”), going back to Germanic *hlewja- (whence Old Norse hlýr “mild, warm,” Middle Dutch luw), going back to Indo-European *ḱleui̯̯o-, derivative of *ḱel- “be warm”; also with a laryngeal extension *ḱelh₁-, giving the derivative *ḱleh₁u̯o- (from which Germanic *hlǣwa-, whence Old High German lāo “tepid, warm,” Old Norse hlær); and zero-grade *ḱlh₁-, whence Lithuanian šìlti “to grow warm,” Latin calēre “to be warm or hot” (with the derivatives calidus “hot, warm,” calor “heat”)