Lao
/laʊ/noun
Lao refers to the people, language, or culture of Laos.
Did you know?“Lao” is an indigenous ethnonym, while “Laos” was shaped in European usage partly through the French plural-style spelling of the name.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Tai period
Proto-Tai
*law
“Reconstructed ethnonym associated with the Lao people; the precise original sense is uncertain.”
Early Tai linguistic period
Tai languages
Lao-related forms
“Related forms developed among Tai-speaking communities across mainland Southeast Asia.”
Medieval period
Old Lao
ລາວ (Lao)
“The indigenous name used for the Lao people and their language.”
14th–18th Centuries
Lao
ລາວ
“Used within the Lan Xang and later Lao kingdoms as an ethnic and cultural name.”
19th Century
French/English
Laos / Lao
“European languages adopted Laos as the country name and Lao for its people and language.”
Modern English
English
Lao
“The standard English adjective and noun relating to Laos, its people, or its national language.”