Where does “lievelings-” come from?
lievelings- (Dutch) comes from Dutch lieveling, from Dutch lief, from Middle Dutch lief, from Old Dutch liof, from Proto-West Germanic *leub, from Proto-Germanic leubaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European lēw- — to sound, resound, sing out; to leave.
lievelings- (Dutch): favourite
Ancestry of “lievelings-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | lieveling | favorite; darling |
| 2 | Dutch | lief | nice, sweet; beloved; one's beloved in a romantic... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | lief | loved, dear; sweet, nice |
| 4 | Old Dutch | liof | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *leub | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | leubaz | dear, beloved |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewbʰ- | to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lēw- | to sound, resound, sing out; to leave |