Where does “leechlike” come from?
leechlike (English) comes from English like, from Dutch luik, from Middle Dutch luke, from Dutch luiken, from Middle Dutch luken, from Old Dutch lūcan, from Proto-West Germanic lūkan, from Proto-Germanic lūkaną — to break, tear; to break, shatter.
leechlike (English): Resembling a leech or some aspect of one;...
Definitions
- Resembling a leech or some aspect of one;...
Ancestry of “leechlike”, step by step
leechlike traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English like
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | like | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of;... |
| 2 | Dutch | luik | hatch; shutter; panel, as in a triptych |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | luke | — |
| 4 | Dutch | luiken | to close, to shut |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | luken | to close, to shut; to close, to become closed |
| 6 | Old Dutch | lūcan | to close, shut |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | lūkan | to close, to shut |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |
via English leech
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | leech | An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of class... |
| 2 | Middle English | leche | physician; leachate; sluggish stream; doctor,... |
| 3 | Old English | lǣċe | doctor, physician; blood-sucking worm; muddy... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lākī | doctor, physician |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lēkijaz | doctor, physician |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |