- list (n.)
- "catalogue consisting of names in a row or series," 1602, from M.E. liste "border, edging, stripe" (c.1280), from O.Fr. liste "border, band, row, group," also "strip of paper," or from O.It. lista "border, strip of paper, list," both from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. lista "strip, border, list," O.N. lista "border, selvage," O.E. liste "border"), from P.Gmc. *liston, from PIE *leizd- "border, band." The sense of "enumeration" is from strips of paper used as a sort of catalogue. The O.E. word survives in archaic lists "place of combat," at the boundary of fields.
- list (v.1)
- "tilt, lean," especially of a ship, 1880, earlier (1626) lust, of unknown origin, perhaps an unexplained spelling variant of M.E. lysten "to please, desire, wish, like" (see listless) with a sense development on the notion of "leaning" toward what one desires (cf. incline).
- list (v.2)
- "hear, hearken," now poetic or obsolete, from O.E. hlystan "hear, hearken," from hlyst "hearing," from P.Gmc. *khlustiz, from PIE *kleu- "to hear" (see listen).