lied n.

"praise highly, sing the praises of," late 14c., from Old French lauder "to praise, extol," from Latin laudare "to praise, commend, honor, extol, eulogize," from laus (genitive laudis) "praise, fame, glory." Probably from an echoic PIE root *leu- and cognate with Old English leoð "song, poem, hymn," from Proto-Germanic *leuthan (source also of Old Norse ljoð "strophe," German Lied "song," Gothic liuþon "to praise"). Related: Lauded; lauding.

German epic poem of 13c., literally "song of the Nibelungs," a race of dwarves who lived in Norway and owned a hoard of gold and a magic ring, literally "children of the mist," from Proto-Germanic *nibulunga-, a suffixed patronymic form from *nebla- (source of Old High German nebul "mist, fog, darkness," Old English nifol), from PIE root *nebh- "cloud." With lied "song" (see Lied).