locking (English)

Where does "locking" come from?

The English noun 'locking' is formed from the verb 'lock' combined with the suffix '-ing'[1]. The underlying root goes back through Middle English and Old English forms like 'loc' and 'lūcan', eventually tracing to Proto-Germanic and the Proto-Indo-European root '*lewg-', meaning 'to bend' or 'turn'[2]. Over time, the term expanded from physical security devices to encompass computing concepts such as restricting access to code[2].

Open questions

• The ultimate derivation of the Proto-Indo-European root '*lewg-' meaning to bend or turn is a reconstruction. [2] [6] [7]

Full etymology tree

• locking (English), 'gerund of lock: the act by which something is locked.'
  • suffix lock (English), 'To become fastened in place.'
    • inherited locken (Middle English)
      • inherited lucan (Old English), 'to lock'
        • inherited *lūkan (Proto-West Germanic), 'to close, to shut'
          • inherited *lūkaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to close, to shut'
            • inherited *lewg- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to bend'
  • suffix -ing (English), 'Used to form present participles of verbs.'

Ancestors

• lock (English)
• ing (English)

Descendants and derived words

• mutual tidal locking (English)

Related words

• bolt (English)
• door (English)
• combination (English)

Sources

1. locking (English) - Wiktionary
2. lock (English) - Wiktionary
3. lok (Middle English) - Wiktionary
4. loc (Old English) - Wiktionary
5. lucan (Old English) - Wiktionary
6. lūkaną (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
7. luką (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
8. lūkan (Proto-West Germanic) - Wiktionary
9. lok (Proto-West Germanic) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris