Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/līką

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (image, likeness; similar, like), with semantic shift "similar" > "having a similar shape" > "likeness" > "body". Cognate with Lithuanian lýgus (equal, level, flat, even, like).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈliː.kɑ̃/

Noun

*līką n

  1. body
    Synonyms: *būkaz, *hrefaz
  2. corpse, dead body
    Synonym: *līkahamô
Inflection
Declension of *līką (neuter a-stem)
singular plural
nominative *līką *līkō
vocative *līką *līkō
accusative *līką *līkō
genitive *līkas, *līkis *līkǫ̂
dative *līkai *līkamaz
instrumental *līkō *līkamiz
Derived terms
Descendants

Etymology 2

Probably Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (to bind), and cognate with Latin ligō (to bind). Kroonen, in addition to the above theory, offers an alternative suggestion that the word is a semantic extension of the "body" sense above, with semantic association "to connect" > "to compare" > "to be alike".[2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈliː.kɑ̃/

Noun

*līką n

  1. leech-line, bolt-rope
Descendants
  • English: leech
  • Dutch: lijk
  • Middle Low German: līk
  • Middle High German: geleich (joint, link)
  • Old Norse: lík
  • Danish: lig

References

  1. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*līka- 1”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 336
  2. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013) “*līka- 3”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 337