# lewd

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ljuːd/ · frequency rank #22,725

## Definitions
1. Lascivious, sexually promiscuous, rude.
2. Lay; not clerical.
3. Uneducated.
4. Vulgar, common; typical of the lower orders.
5. Base, vile, reprehensible.

## Etymology
From Middle English lewed, lewd, leued (“unlearned, lay, lascivious”), from Old English lǣwede (“unlearned, ignorant, lay”), of uncertain origin. Formally similar to a derivative of the past participle of Old English lǣwan (“to reveal, betray”) in the sense of "exposed as being unlearned" or "easily betrayed, clueless", from Proto-West Germanic *lāwijan, from Proto-Germanic *lēwijaną (“to betray”), from *lēwą (“an opportunity, cause”), from Proto-Indo-European *lēw- (“to leave”). If so, then cognate with Old High German gilāen, firlāen (“to betray”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌴𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (galēwjan, “to give over, betray”), Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐍅 (lēw, “an opportunity, cause”). Or, according to the OED, probably from Vulgar Latin *laigo-, from Late Latin lāicus (“of the people”), from Ancient Greek λαϊκός (laïkós).

## Easily confused with
- **low** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-low)
- **lid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lid)
- **lex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lex)
- **LSD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lsd)
- **ley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-ley)
- **Lod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lod)
- **lord** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lord)
- **load** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-load)
- **loud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-loud)
- **lied** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lied)
- **lowe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lowe)
- **Lund** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lund)
- **Lexi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lexi)
- **lind** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lind)
- **Loew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-loew)
- **Lewis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lewis)
- **Lewes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lewes)
- **Lewin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lewd-vs-lewin)
- **le** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/le-vs-lewd)
- **let** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/let-vs-lewd)

## Common misspellings (6)
`elwd`, `ledw`, `lewdd`, `lewwd`, `llewd`, `lwed`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lewd