Where does “birdlike” come from?
Birdlike comes from English bird plus the suffix -like, which derives from Old English -līċ, ultimately from Proto-Germanic brūdiz and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "to grow" or "come together."
birdlike (English): Similar to a bird or an aspect of a bird; In the...
Definitions
- Similar to a bird or an aspect of a bird; In the...
Ancestry of “birdlike”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -like | Having some of the characteristics of |
| 2 | Middle English | -like | Alternative form of -liche |
| 3 | Middle English | -liche | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 4 | Old English | -līc | adjective-forming suffix meaning 'like' or 'relating to |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -līkaz | -like, -ly |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | līką | body; corpse, dead body; leech-line, bolt-rope |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leyǵ- | to bind, tie |