Etymology

lifelike

L1I1F4E1L1I1K5E1

Today it means: Likely to live. Full definition →

First used 1610sProto-Germanic *līką ← Proto-Indo-European *leyg- ← English life
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*leyp-
  2. Proto-Germanic*lībaną
  3. Proto-Germanic*lībą
  4. Proto-West Germanic*līb
  5. Old Englishlīf
  6. Middle Englishlyf
  7. Englishlife
  8. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  9. Proto-Germanic*līką
  10. English todaylifelike

From life + -like. First attested in the 1610s.

First known use, by meaning

  • 1610s Likely to live.
  • 1725 Like a living being; resembling life; being an accurate representation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.