Where does “livelihood” come from?
Livelihood comes from Middle English liflode, from Old English līflād combining līf (life) and lād (course or way), ultimately from Proto-Germanic lībą and Proto-Indo-European roots ley- and lip- meaning to remain or persist.
livelihood (English): A means of providing the necessities of life for...
Definitions
- A means of providing the necessities of life for...
Ancestry of “livelihood”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | liflode | livelihood |
| 2 | Old English | līflād | course of life, conduct |
| 3 | Old English | līf | life, existence; life-time |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | līb | body; life |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lībą | body; life |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lībaną | to remain, to be left |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | leyp- | to stick; fat or sticky substance |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |