Origin

earlier, "characterized by play or amusement, joking, not serious," borrowed from Latin lūdicr- (a presumed nominative *lūdicer is unattested) "marked by sport, undertaken in fun, playful," derivative of lūdicrum "source of amusement, plaything, public entertainment" (from lūdere "to play, take part in public entertainment, amuse oneself" + -crum, instrumental suffix, dissimilated from -c(u)lum, going back to Indo-European *-tlom) + ; lūdere perhaps going back to Indo-European *loi̯d-, iterative of *lei̯d- "let go, release," whence also, with varying ablaut, Middle Irish laídid "(s/he) exhorts, incites," Old Lithuanian léidmi "(I) let go, set in motion," dialectal Lithuanian láidžiu, láisti "to let go," Greek lízei "(s/he) plays" (attested only by the grammarian Hesychius).