Where does “suchlike” come from?
Suchlike derives from Middle English swilc, Old English swilc, Proto-Germanic galīkaz combining ga- with līg-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm and līg-, meaning resembling or of that kind.
suchlike (English): Of the same or similar kind; Other things of the...
Definitions
- Of the same or similar kind; Other things of the...
Ancestry of “suchlike”, step by step
suchlike traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English like
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | like | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of;... |
| 2 | Dutch | luik | hatch; shutter; panel, as in a triptych |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | luke | — |
| 4 | Dutch | luiken | to close, to shut |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | luken | to close, to shut; to close, to become closed |
| 6 | Old Dutch | lūcan | to close, shut |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | lūkan | to close, to shut |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |
via English such
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | such | Like this, that, these, those; used to make a... |
| 2 | Middle English | such | — |
| 3 | Old English | swelċ | such; like that, that kind of |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | swalīkaz | such, that kind of, that sort of |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swa | so, thus, in this manner |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | swē | like, similar to; just like, in the same manner... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swē | self (reflexive pronoun) |