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
- An act of licking; A severe beating; A great loss...
Ancestry of “licking”, step by step
| 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 |