Meaning

origin1750, from Medieval Latin leudēs pl (“vassals or followers of the king”), from Frankish *liudi (“people”), from Proto-Germanic *liudiz (“people”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁léwdʰis (“man, people”). Cognate with Old High German liuti (“people, subordinates”) (modern German Leute), Gothic *𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸𐍃 (*liuþs), Old English lēod (“chief, man”). Doublet of lede.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0