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lef·se

(lĕfsə)

A round flatbread of Norwegian origin, traditionally made of a potato-based dough, baked on a griddle, and served with butter and sugar.

[Norwegian : leiv, flatbread, lefse (from Old Norse hleifr, from Germanic *hlaibaz; see LOAF) + -se, possibly a diminutive suffix (compare Danish -se, diminutive suffix).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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