Lies
/laɪz/noun
The plural of “lie,” meaning deliberate false statements, or the third-person singular form meaning rests in a horizontal position.
Did you know?The two meanings of “lies” come from different ancient roots: falsehood traces to Proto-Indo-European *leugh-*, while reclining traces to *legh-*, “to lie down.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leugh-
“To lie or tell a falsehood; the reconstructed source of the deception sense.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lugiz
“A lie or false statement.”
Old English
OE
lyge
“A lie, falsehood, or untruth.”
Middle English
ME
lie
“A false statement; also influenced by the separate verb meaning to rest or recline.”
Modern English
English
lies
“False statements, or “rests” in the third-person singular form of lie.”