Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “licking” come from?

Licking derives from Middle English likken, Old English liccian, and Proto-Germanic likkōną, all tracing to the Proto-Indo-European root leyǵʰ-.

licking (English): An act of licking; A severe beating; A great loss...

Definitions

  1. An act of licking; A severe beating; A great loss...

Ancestry of “licking”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlickThe act of licking; a stroke of the tongue; The...
2Germanleute—
3Middle High Germanliute—
4Old High Germanliutipeople, subordinates
5Proto-West Germanic*liud(i)—
6Proto-Germanicliudīz—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁léwdʰispeople
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁lewdʰ-to grow; people

Words derived from “licking”

  • arslikhan
  • cuntlicking
  • arse-licking
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁lewdʰ- →