Where does “lich” come from?
lich (Middle English) comes from Old English līċ, from Proto-West Germanic līk, from Proto-Germanic līką, from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- — to bind, tie.
lich (Middle English): A body
Ancestry of “lich”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | līċ | body |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | līk | body |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | līką | body; corpse, dead body; leech-line, bolt-rope |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | leyǵ- | to bind, tie |
Words derived from “lich”