Where does “lijfeigene” come from?
lijfeigene (Dutch) comes from Dutch lijfeigen, from Dutch lijf, from Middle Dutch lijf, from Old Dutch līf, from Proto-West Germanic līb, from Proto-Germanic lībą, from Proto-Germanic lībaną, from Proto-Indo-European leyp- — to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...
lijfeigene (Dutch): serf
Ancestry of “lijfeigene”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | lijfeigen | serfish, whose very bodily person is legally... |
| 2 | Dutch | lijf | A body; A corsage; A field |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | lijf | body; life; life force |
| 4 | Old Dutch | līf | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | līb | body; life |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lībą | body; life |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | lībaną | to remain, to be left |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leyp- | to stick; fat or sticky substance |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |