Loyne

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic form of loin, the cut of meat from the back of an animal ; a Scottish freshwater loch and the river that flows from it
2. Old spelling of the word for the fleshy section of an animal's back ; a place name for a Scottish loch in the Highlands
3. A dated variant of loin referring to a joint of meat near the spine ; a proper name given to a loch and river in Scotland

Etymology: Sirloin is the cut of meat that gives this word its most famous story. It came into English from Anglo-French "surloyn", built from "sur", meaning "above", and "loyne". The popular tale that an English king knighted a joint of beef, making it "Sir Loin", is a myth, and the "sir" comes from a misreading of the French prefix. The word itself descends from Old French "loigne", which traces back to a Vulgar Latin "lumbea", a form of Latin "lumbus", meaning the lower back and loins. That Latin root also gave English "lumbar". Middle English writers spelled it "loyne", and the body part and the cut of meat have shared the word all along.

Synonyms: loin, flank, haunch