Provençal dialect
The "Laus" (formerly spelled "Laux") in the name of the commune, Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, and that of the church, Notre Dame du Laus, means "lake", in the Alpine Provençal dialect, which was a local derivation from the Latin word "lacus". On votive offerings and some older stones, the indication is Latin "Sancta Maria Lacensis", which means "St. Mary of the Lake".