Where does “likelihood” come from?
Likelihood comes from Middle English -hod, Old English -hād, Proto-Germanic haiduz, and Proto-Indo-European (s)kayt-, originally denoting condition or state.
likelihood (English): The probability of a specified outcome; the...
Definitions
- The probability of a specified outcome; the...
Ancestry of “likelihood”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | likely | probable; having a greater-than-even chance of... |
| 2 | Middle English | likely | — |
| 3 | Old English | ġelīclīċ | likely |
| 4 | Old English | ġē | ye |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | jahw | and, also |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -hw | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -hwe | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -kʷe | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |