liar

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlaɪ.ə/ (UK); /ˈlaɪ.ɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English liar, lier, inherited from Old English lēogere (“liar, false witness, hypocrite”), Anglian lēgere,^[2][3][4] an agent noun from lēogan, to be untruthful (see lie).^[2][3][5] The ending -ar, rather than -er, was probably in imitation of refashioned forms such as scholar for scoler and pillar for piler.^[2][3] A different formation gave Dutch leugenaar and German Lügner.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who tells lies: about 950, in the gloss of the Lindisfarne Gospels.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The modern form liar is recorded before 1225.^[2] Used attributively, lying or deceitful, it is from before 1300, and liar dice is a gambling game like poker played with dice.^[6] The liar paradox in logic, of a speaker who says that he is lying, is from 1871.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 950 – lēgere.^[2]
• before 1225 – liar.^[2]
• 1871 – the liar paradox.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who tells lies.

Word family

• liar paradox

Related words

• lie
• lying
• perjurer

Usage notes

In Herefordshire dialect, liar was a pronunciation of lawyer.^[7]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)