listo

Unknown. Cognate to Portuguese lesto (“agile”), Catalan llest (“clever; ready”), Italian lesto (“quick”), Maltese lest (“ready”). * If "clever" is the original sense, probably from Proto-Germanic *listiz; compare Old High German and Old English list, both "knowledge, experience, cunning, art, trick, slyness" (see English list). A semantic development "clever" → "quick" → "ready" is very plausible, but note that the association with "cleverness" apparently exists only in Spanish and Catalan (and might thus be secondary). Note also Irish cliste (“clever”). * Alternatively, perhaps from a Vulgar Latin *lextus or *lestus, reduced from *lexitus, as an alteration of Latin lēctus (“chosen; read”), participle of legō.