Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “live” come from?

Live comes from Middle English libben, from Old English libban, from Proto-Germanic libjaną, from Proto-Indo-European leip-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ley-.

live (English): To be alive; to have life; To have permanent...

Definitions

  1. To be alive; to have life; To have permanent...

Ancestry of “live”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
2Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
3Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
4Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
5Proto-Norse-īna-—
6Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
7Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
8Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix

Words derived from “live”

  • living
  • livestock
  • liveth
  • relive
  • livable
  • livest
  • liveness
  • liveable
  • livability
  • unlivable
  • livingness
  • livingly
  • everliving
  • liveability
  • liveborn
  • unliving
  • unliveable
  • LiveScript
  • livity
  • liveaboard
  • livebirth
  • unlive
  • nonlive
  • liveware
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →