Where does “lick clean” come from?
lick clean (English) comes from English lick, from German leute, from Middle High German liute, from Old High German liuti, from Proto-West Germanic *liud(i), from Proto-Germanic liudīz, from Proto-Indo-European h₁léwdʰis, from Proto-Indo-European h₁lewdʰ- — to grow; people.
lick clean (English): To empty by eating its contents
Definitions
- To empty by eating its contents
Ancestry of “lick clean”, step by step
lick clean traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lick
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lick | The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue; The... |
| 2 | German | leute | people several individual persons, a group of people in general, esp. of one kind or another, folk (folks), peeps slang, guys (boys and/or girls) |
| 3 | Middle High German | liute | — |
| 4 | Old High German | liuti | people, subordinates |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *liud(i) | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | liudīz | man, person |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁léwdʰis | people |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁lewdʰ- | to grow; people |
via English clean
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clean | "Free of dirt or impurities or protruberances.";... |
| 2 | Middle English | clene | clean |
| 3 | Old English | clǣne | pure, clear; clean, pure |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | klainiz | shining, fine, splendid; tender, precious |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | g(e)lēi- | gleaming |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |