Where does “life” come from?
Life comes from Middle English lif, Old English līf, Proto-Germanic lībą and lībaną, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European lip- and ley-.
life (English): The state of organisms preceding their death,...
Definitions
- The state of organisms preceding their death,...
Ancestry of “life”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lyf | life |
| 2 | Old English | līf | life, existence; life-time |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | līb | body; life |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lībą | body; life |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lībaną | to remain, to be left |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leyp- | to stick; fat or sticky substance |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |