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
- The quality of being birdlike
Ancestry of “birdlikeness”, step by step
birdlikeness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English birdlike
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | birdlike | Similar to a bird or an aspect of a bird; In the... |
| 2 | English | -like | Having some of the characteristics of |
| 3 | Middle English | -like | Alternative form of -liche |
| 4 | Middle English | -liche | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 5 | Old English | -līc | adjective-forming suffix meaning 'like' or 'relating to |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -līkaz | -like, -ly |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | līką | body; corpse, dead body; leech-line, bolt-rope |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leyǵ- | to bind, tie |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |