Where does “midlife” come from?
Midlife derives from Middle English midlif, combining mid- and lif, the Old English word for life, which traces through Proto-Germanic lībą to Proto-Indo-European ley-.
midlife (English): Occurring in the middle point of one's life,...
Definitions
- Occurring in the middle point of one's life,...
Ancestry of “midlife”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | life | The state of organisms preceding their death,... |
| 2 | Middle English | lyf | life |
| 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... |
Words derived from “midlife”