Where does “like” come from?
Like derives from Middle English like, from Old Norse líkr, from Proto-Germanic galīkaz, combining Proto-Germanic ga- with a root from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm and līg-.
like (English): To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of;...
Definitions
- To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of;...
Ancestry of “like”, step by step
like traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch luik
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | luik | hatch; shutter; panel, as in a triptych |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | luke | — |
| 3 | Dutch | luiken | to close, to shut |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | luken | to close, to shut; to close, to become closed |
| 5 | Old Dutch | lūcan | to close, shut |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | lūkan | to close, to shut |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |
via Middle English liken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | liken | to like, please |
| 2 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 3 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 4 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 5 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |