Where does “afterlife” come from?
Afterlife is a compound of English after and English life, where life derives from Old English līf, Proto-Germanic lībą, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European apotero and apo-.
afterlife (English): Life after death; The place believed to be...
Definitions
- Life after death; The place believed to be...
Ancestry of “afterlife”, step by step
afterlife traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English life
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | life | The state of organisms preceding their death,... |
| 2 | Middle English | lyf | life |
| 3 | Old English | līf | life, existence; life-time |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | līb | body; life |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lībą | body; life |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lībaną | to remain, to be left |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leyp- | to stick; fat or sticky substance |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |