Where does “like” come from?

like (Scots) comes from Old English līcian, from Proto-West Germanic līkēn, from Proto-Germanic līkāną, from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- — to bind, tie.

like (Scots): To like; To be hesitant to do something; To love...

Definitions

  1. To like; To be hesitant to do something; To love...

Ancestry of “like”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlīcianto be pleasing; to please; be sufficient; to...
2Proto-West Germaniclīkēnto be pleasing
3Proto-Germaniclīkānąto conform, to be of an agreeable kind; to...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanleyǵ-to bind, tie

Words derived from “like”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic līkāną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic līkēn →