Unclear. Accepting a shift of Proto-Italic *ow to Latin au in pretonic positions, the term reflects a Proto-Indo-European *le/ow-V́-d⁽ʰ⁾-, which is usually traced back to a tentative root *lew- (“to sing, praise”) together with Proto-Germanic *leuþą (“song, poem”). Connection with Old Irish loíd (“poem, lay”) is usually rejected.