Online Etymology Dictionary

like (adj.): "having the same characteristics or qualities" (as another), M.E. shortening of O.E. gelic "like, similar," from P.Gmc. *galikaz "having the same form," lit. "with a corresponding body" (cf. O.S. gilik, O.N. glikr, Du. gelijk, Ger. gleich, Goth. galeiks "equally, like"), a compound of *ga- "with, together" + *likan "body" (cf. O.E. lic "body," Ger. Leiche "corpse," Dan. lig, Swed. lik, Du. lijk "body, corpse"). Analogous, etymologically, to L. conform. The modern form (rather than *lich) may be from a northern descendant of the O.E. word's O.N. cognate, likr. Formerly with comp. liker and superl. likest (still in use 17c.). The prep. (c.1200) and the adv. (c.1300) are both from the adjective. As a conjunction, first attested c.1530. Plural likes (n.) "predilections, preferences" is from 1851; earlier used in sing. in this sense (1425). The word has been used as a postponed filler ("going really fast, like") from 1778; as a presumed emphatic ("going, like, really fast") from 1950, originally in counterculture slang and bop talk. Phrase more like it "closer to what is desired" is from 1888.
like (v.): O.E. lician "to please," from P.Gmc. *likojanan (cf. O.N. lika, O.Fris. likia, O.H.G. lihhen, Goth. leikan "to please"), from *liko- "body," originally "appearance, form." The basic meaning seems to be "to be like" (see like (adj.)), thus, "to be suitable." Like (and dislike) originally flowed the other way: It likes me, where we would say I like it. The modern version began to appear late 14c.
likeable: also likable, 1730, from like (v.) + -able.
likelihood: late 14c., "resemblance, similarity," from likely + -hood. Meaning "probability" is from mid-15c.
likely: c.1300, perhaps from O.N. likligr "likely," from likr "like" (adj.). O.E. had cognate geliclic. Meaning "having the appearance of being strong and capable" is from mid-15c., though now mostly confined to Amer.Eng. Sense of "good-looking" is from 1470. Meaning "probably" is attested from late 14c., now principally in Amer.Eng.
likeminded: 1520s, from like + mind (n.). One word from 19c.
liken: late 13c., "to represent as like," from like (adj.).
likeness: O.E. (Northumbrian) licnes, shortened from gelicness (see like (adj.)).
likewise: 1489, from the phrase in like wise "in the same manner" (1449), from like (adj.).
Likud: nationalist coalition party formed in Israel 1973, from Heb., lit. "union, combination."
lilac: 1625, from Fr. lilac "shrub of genus Syringa with mauve flowers," from Sp. lilac, from Arabic lilak, from Pers. lilak, variant of nilak "bluish," from nil "indigo" (cf. Skt. nilah "dark blue"), of unknown origin. As a color name, attested from 1791; as a scent, from 1895.
Lilith: female evil spirit, in medieval Heb. folklore the first wife of Adam, from Heb. Lilith, from Akkad. Lilitu, which is connected by folk etymology with Heb. laylah "night."
Lilliputian: "diminutive, tiny," lit. "pertaining to Lilliput, the fabulous island whose inhabitants were six inches high, coined by Swift in "Gulliver's Travels" (1726).
lilt: 1510s, "to lift up" (the voice), probably from late 14c. W. Midlands dial. lulten "to sound an alarm," of unknown origin. Possible relatives include Norw. lilla "to sing" and Low Ger. lul "pipe." It is possible that the whole loose group is imitative. Sense of "sing in a light manner" is first recorded 1786.
lily: O.E. lilie, from L. lilia, pl. of lilium "a lily," cognate with Gk. leirion, both perhaps borrowed from a corrupted pronunciation of an Egyptian word. Used in O.T. to translate Heb. shoshanna and in N.T. to translate Gk. krinon. The lily of the valley translates L. lilium convallium (Vulgate), a literal rendition of the Heb. term in Song of Solomon ii.1. It apparently was applied to a particular plant (Convallaria majalis) first by 16c. Ger. herbalists.
lily pad: 1843, Amer.Eng., from lily + pad.
lily-livered: "cowardly," 1605, in "Macbeth;" from lily (in its color sense of "pale, bloodless") + liver, which was a supposed seat of love and passion. A healthy liver is typically dark reddish-brown.
Lima: Peruvian capital, founded 1535 by Pizarro, from Sp. corruption of Quechua (Inca) Rimak, name of a god and his temple, from rima "to speak" (probably a reference to priests who spoke from concealed places in statues of the gods).
lima bean: 1756, associated with Lima, Peru, from which region the plant (Phaseolus lunatus) was introduced to Europe c.1500. Among the earliest New World crops to be known in the Old World, Simmonds' "Dictionary of Trade" (1858) describes it as "esteemed," but it has the consistency of a diseased dog kidney.
limb (1): O.E. lim "limb, joint, main branch of a tree," from P.Gmc. *limu- (cf. O.N. limr "limb," lim "small branch of a tree"), a variant of *liþu- (cf. O.E. liþ, O.Fris. lith, O.N. liðr, Goth. liþus "a limb;" with prefix ga-, source of Ger. glied "limb, member"), from PIE base *lei- "to bend, be movable, be nimble." The parasitic -b began to appear late 1500s for no reason. In O.E., M.E., and until lately in dial., it could mean "any visible body part."
"The lymmes of generacion were shewed manyfestly." [Caxton, "The subtyl historyes and fables of Esope, Auyan, Alfonce, and Poge," 1484]
Hence, limb-lifter "fornicator" (1570s). To go out on a limb in figurative sense is from 1897. Life and limb in ref. to the body inclusively is from c.1200.
limb (2): 1590s, "edge of a quadrant or other instrument," from L. limbus "border, hem, fringe, edge," cognate with Skt. lambate "hangs down," English limp. Astronomical sense of "edge of the disk of a heavenly body" first attested 1670s.
limber (adj.): 1565, of uncertain origin, possibly from limb on notion of supple boughs of a tree, or from limp "flaccid," or somehow from M.E. lymer "shaft of a cart" (see limber (n.)).
limber (n.): "detachable forepart of a gun carriage," 1480, probably related to Fr. limonière "wagon with two shafts," from limon "shaft," probably of Celtic origin.
limbic: 1882, from Fr. limbique (1878, Broca), from limbe, from L. limbus "edge" (see limbus). Limbic system is attested from 1952.
limbo (1): "region supposed to exist on the border of Hell" reserved for pre-Christian saints (Limbus patrum) and unbaptized infants (Limbus infantum);" c.1300, from L. (in) limbo "(on) the edge," abl. of limbus "edge, border" (see limb (2)). Figurative sense of "condition of neglect or oblivion" is from 1642.
limbo (2): dance in which the dancer bends backward and passes under a bar, 1956, of W.Indian origin, probably an alteration of limber.
Limburger: 1817, from Limburg, province in northeast Belgium, where the cheese is made. The place name is from Gmc. *lindo "lime tree" + *burg "fortification.
limbus: a Latin word meaning "edge, border," in M.L. "region on the border of Hell," and thus sometimes used in English for limbo (1).
lime (1): "chalky mineral used in making mortar," from O.E. lim "sticky substance, birdlime, mortar," from P.Gmc. *leimaz (cf. O.N. lim, Du. lijm, Ger. Leim), from PIE base *(s)lei- "slime, slimy, sticky" (cf. L. limus "slime, mud, mire," linere "to smear;" O.E. slim "slime;" Skt. linati "adheres to, slips into, disappears;" Gk. alinein "to anoint, besmear;" O.Ir. leinam "I follow," lit. "I stick to"). Lime is made by putting limestone or shells in a red heat, which burns off the carbonic acid and leaves a brittle white solid which dissolves easily in water. Birdlime is a viscous sticky stuff prepared from holly bark and used to catch small birds.
lime (2): "type of citrus fruit," 1638, from Sp. lima, from Arabic limah "citrus fruit," a back-formation or a collective noun from limun "lemon" (see lemon).
lime (3): "linden tree," 1625, from M.E. lynde, from O.E. lind (see linden). The change of -n- to -m- probably began in compounds whose second element began in a labial (e.g. line-bark, line-bast).
limelight: 1826, popular name for Drummond light, a brilliant light created by the incandescence of lime (1), adopted for lighthouses and later for the Victorian stage, where it illuminated the principal actors, hence the figurative sense of "on stage, at the center of attention" (1877).
limerick: nonsense verse of five lines, 1896, perhaps from the county and city in Ireland, but if so the connection is obscure. It is usually attributed to a party game in which each guest in turn made up a nonsense verse and all sang a refrain with the line "Will you come up to Limerick?" Or perhaps from Learic, from Edward Lear (1812-88) English humorist who popularized the form. Earliest examples are in French, which further complicates the quest for the origin. First record of the word is in a letter of Aubrey Beardsley. The place name is lit. "bare ground," from Ir. Liumneach, from lom "bare, thin."
limestone: 1520s, from lime (1) + stone.
limey: 1888, Australian, New Zealand, and South African slang for "English immigrant;" U.S. use is attested from 1918, originally "British sailor, British warship," short for lime-juicer (1857), in derisive reference to the British Navy's policy (begun 1795) of issuing lime juice on ships to prevent scurvy among sailors. In Amer.Eng., extended to "any Englishman" by 1925.
"Midway Signs Limey Prof to Dope Yank Talk" ["Chicago Tribune" headline, Oct. 18, 1924]
liminal: 1884, a rare word, from L. limen "threshold." Related: Liminality.
limit (n.): late 14c., "boundary, frontier," from O.Fr. limite "a boundary," from L. limitem (nom. limes) "a boundary, embankment between fields, border," related to limen "threshold." Colloquial sense of "the very extreme, the greatest degree imaginable" is from 1904. The verb is late 14c., from O.Fr. limiter, from L. limitare "to bound, limit, fix," from limes.
limitation: late 14c., from L. limitationem, from limitare (see limit). Phrase statute of limitations attested by 1768.
limited: 1550s, pp. adj. from limit; as a stand-alone for limited express train, by 1883. Limited edition is from 1920; limited monarchy from 1640s; limited war is from 1948. In British company names, Limited (abbrev. Ltd.), 1855, is short for limited liability company, one in which the liability of partners is limited, usually to the amount of their capital investment.
limitless: 1580s, from limit + -less.
limn: c.1420, "to illuminate" (manuscripts), altered from M.E. lumine, "to illuminate manuscripts," from O.Fr. luminer, from L. luminare "illuminate, burnish," from lumen (gen. luminis) "radiant energy, light." Sense of "portray, depict" first recorded 1592.
limnology: 1893, from Gk. limne "lake, marsh" (see slime).
limo: abbreviation of limousine, by 1959, Amer.Eng.
limousine: 1902, "enclosed automobile with open driver's seat," from Fr. limousine, from Limousin, region in central France, originally an adj. referring to its chief city, Limoges, from L. Lemovices, name of a people who lived near there, perhaps named in ref. to their elm spears or bows. The Latin adjective form of the name, Lemovicinus, is the source of Fr. Limousin. Modern automobile meaning evolved from perceived similarity of the car's profile to a type of hood worn by the inhabitants of that province. Since 1930s, synonymous in Amer.Eng. with "luxury car;" applied from 1972 to vehicles that take people to and from large airports. Limousine liberal first attested 1969.
limp (v.): c.1400, of uncertain origin, probably from O.E. lemphealt "halting, lame, limping," which has a lone cognate in the rare M.H.G. limphin, and probably ult. is from PIE base *lomb- "slack, loose, to hang down" (cf. Skt. lambate "hangs down," L. limbus "hem, border," M.H.G. lampen "to hang down").
limp (adj.): 1706, "flaccid, drooping," of obscure origin, perhaps related to limp (v.).
limpet: O.E. lempedu, from M.L. lampreda "limpet" (see lamprey).
limpid: 1609, from Fr. limpide, from L. limpidus "clear," from limpa "water goddess, water;" probably cognate with lympha "clear liquid" (see lymph).
linch: O.E. lynis "linchpin," from P.Gmc. *luniso (cf. O.S. lunisa, Ger. lünse).
linchpin: late 14c., from M.E. lins "axletree" (from O.E. lynis, from P.Gmc. *luniso) + pin. The peg that holds a wheel on an axle; now mainly figurative.