Etymology

Formed within English on loʒe (adj., adv.) + prefix be-. OED notes its rarity in ME (this is the first occurrence) and suggests it began as a variant of aloʒ (adv.) in parallel to an-high.

PGmc Ancestor

*lēga-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

lágr (adj.) ‘low’
(ONP lágr(adj.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far lágur, Icel lágur, Norw låg, Dan lav, Sw låg

OE Cognate

lǣg- ‘fallow, uncultivated’

Phonological and morphological markers

ON /ɑ:/ < PGmc */e:/ (1)

absence of palatalization of */ɡ/

Summary category

A1*

Attestation

Only cited by MED here. The word occurs very commonly as an adv. and prep. in MnE; OED offers citations from the second half of the 16c. onwards.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 116

On the spelling, see Anderson 116n.

Bibliography

MED bilooghe (adv.) , OED below (adv. and prep.) , HTOED ; see further loʒe (adj., adv.).