Etymologically
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lieu

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Pronunciation

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English liue, used in the phrase “in liue of”,[2][3] borrowed from Anglo-Norman liu, also lieu,[2][4] later replaced by the form borrowed from Middle French lieu,[5][6][7] which in Old French was also leu and lou, "place, position, situation, rank", recorded from the 10th century.[8][6] The French word comes from Latin locus (“place”).[9][8][10][11] Old Latin had the form stlocus,[8][3] of uncertain origin according to Etymonline;[8] Klein derives it from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to place, cause to stand”), the root he also gives for stall.[3][7] The Anglo-Norman noun is recorded from the early 12th century, meaning place, position, post or opportunity, and already in phrases meaning "instead of".[4] Weekley explains the English phrase “in lieu of” as a rendering of au lieu de.[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the phrase in (the) lieu of, in the place or stead of: about 1290, in the South English Legendary.[9] Etymonline also dates the word to the late 13th century, usually in this phrase;[8] Barnhart dates in lieu of to 1534, noting a possible single earlier use about 1300.[6]

Semantic evolution

In English the noun has lived almost only in its phrases: in lieu of meant both "instead of" and "in exchange or return for", as a payment, penalty or reward,[9] and the absolute in lieu, "instead", is recorded from 1599.[9] Johnson (1755) noted that the word was used only with in.[13] A use without the preposition, for something given in place of another thing, appears once in Lancelot Andrewes (1592),[9] and the plain sense "stead, room" is found in the 19th century, in the jurist John Austin, but is rare.[9] Merriam-Webster labels the bare noun archaic.[7] In Canada the word is used before a noun for time off work given instead of pay for overtime, as in lieu time.[14]

Timeline

  • c. 1290 – in (the) lieu of, in the place of; also in return for.[9]
  • 1534 – in lieu of in Barnhart's dating.[6]
  • 1592 – something given in lieu of another thing (now obsolete, rare).[9]
  • 1599 – in lieu, instead.[9]
  • 1755 – Johnson records it only in the phrase in lieu.[13]
  • before 1859 – stead, room, without a preposition (rare).[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. in lieu of: in place of; instead of: They received vouchers in lieu of cash.[7][9][14]
  2. in lieu: instead: He had no ticket, so he paid a fine in lieu.[7][14][9]
  3. (archaic) Place, stead.[7][15][14]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  4. ^ a b Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  7. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  11. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  12. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
  13. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  14. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  15. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin