laisser

From Middle French laisser, from Old French lesser, lessier, laissier (“to let, let go, leave”), from Latin laxō, laxāre (“to relax, loosen”); possibly partly from or influenced by Old High German lāzan (“to let, let go, leave”) (German lassen), from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to let, leave, leave alone”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to leave, let”). Cognate with Old English lǣtan (“to allow, let go, leave, rent”), Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐍄𐌰𐌽 (lētan, “to release, forgive”). Conflated also with Old French laiier (“to leave, abandon, allow”) (compare Old Occitan laihar, laiar, Old Northern Italian lagare), also of Germanic origin, from Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lagjan, “to lay, let lie, leave”), from Proto-Germanic *lagjaną (“to lay”). More at let, lay.

• IPA^(key): /lɛ.se/, /le.se/

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laisser

1. (transitive) to leave, to leave behind

   Laissez le pistolet sur la table

   Leave the gun on the table

2. (transitive) to forget, to leave alone
3. (transitive) to leave with, to give
4. (transitive) to let, to allow
5. (reflexive, se laisser) to allow oneself, to let oneself

• laisser tomber
• laissez faire
• laissez vibrer

• → Breton: lezel

• lâcher

• “laisser” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• liséras, lissera, sérails, sileras

• laissier

From Old French lesser, lessier, laissier (“to let, let go, leave”), from Latin laxō, laxāre (“to relax, loosen”); partly from or influenced by Old High German lāzan (“to let, let go, leave”) (German lassen), from Proto-Germanic *lētaną (“to let, leave, leave alone”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to leave, let”).

laisser

1. to allow; to permit
2. to leave (not take)
3. to leave alone (not interfere)
   • 1488, Jean Dupré, Lancelot du Lac, page 74:

     [ie] vous prie que vous me laissiez ceste bataille

     I beg of you to let me go into this battle alone

• Middle French conjugation varies from one text to another. Hence, the following conjugation should be considered as typical, not as exhaustive.

• (permit): laire
• (leave alone): laire

• French: laisser
  • → Breton: lezel