Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “birdlikeness” come from?

birdlikeness (English) comes from English birdlike, from English -like, from Middle English -like, from Middle English -liche, from Old English -līc, from Proto-Germanic -līkaz, from Proto-Germanic līką, from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- — to bind, tie.

birdlikeness (English): The quality of being birdlike

Definitions

  1. The quality of being birdlike

Ancestry of “birdlikeness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbirdlikeSimilar to a bird or an aspect of a bird; In the...
2English-likeHaving some of the characteristics of
3Middle English-likeAlternative form of -liche
4Middle English-licheUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the...
5Old English-līc—
6Proto-Germanic-līkaz-like, -ly
7Proto-Germaniclīkąbody; corpse, dead body; leech-line, bolt-rope
8Proto-Indo-Europeanleyǵ-to bind, tie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- →