A Scottish or dialectal word meaning 'lukewarm' or 'warm.'
From Old English hlēow meaning 'warm' or 'sheltered.' This word survives primarily in Scottish English dialects, with the 'h' dropping off over centuries as phonetic changes occurred.
The word 'lew' shows how English dialects preserve ancient words that have vanished from standard English—Scottish kept 'lew' while London English replaced it with 'lukewarm,' showing how spoken language branches like a tree.
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