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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

like

/laɪ̯k/
To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.

    Etymology graph

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    • borrowed
    • derived
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    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
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    Origin

    Etymology 1

    Verb from Middle English liken, from Old English līcian (“to like, to please”), from Proto-West Germanic *līkēn, from Proto-Germanic *līkāną, from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“image; likeness; similarity”).

    Cognate with Saterland Frisian liekje (“to be similar, resemble”), West Frisian lykje (“to seem, appear, look”), Dutch lijken (“to seem”), Low German lieken (“to be like; resemble”), German gleichen (“to resemble”), Swedish lika (“to like; put up with; align with”), Norwegian like (“to like”), Icelandic and Faroese líka (“to like”).

    Noun from Middle English like (“pleasure, will, like”), from the verb Middle English liken (“to like”).

    Etymology 2

    Adjective from Middle English lik, lyk, lich, like, from Old English ġelīċ by shortening, influenced by Old Norse líkr, glíkr; both from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“like, similar, same”). Related to alike; more distantly, with lich and -ly. Cognate with West Frisian like (“like; as”), Saterland Frisian gliek (“like”), Danish lig (“alike”), Dutch gelijk (“like, alike”), German gleich (“equal, like”), Icelandic líkur (“alike, like, similar”), Norwegian lik (“like, alike”) Swedish lik (“like, similar”)

    Adverb from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, from Old English ġelīċe (“likewise, also, as, in like manner, similarly”) and Old Norse líka (“also, likewise”); both from Proto-Germanic *galīkê, from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“same, like, similar”).

    Conjunction from Middle English like, lyke, lik, lyk, from the adverb Middle English like.

    Preposition from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, lijc, liih (“similar to, like, equal to, comparable with”), from Middle English like (adjective) and like (adverb).

    Etymology 3

    From like (adverb) and like (adjective).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*leyg- “to jump, spring, play”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishliken “to like”
      • inheritedOld Englishlīcian “to like, to please”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*līkēn
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*līkāną
      • inheritedMiddle Englishlike “pleasure, will, like”
        • inheritedOld Englishġelīċe “likewise, also, as, in like manner, similarly”
          • derivedOld Norselíka “also, likewise”
            • inheritedProto-Germanic*galīkê
              • derivedProto-Germanic*galīkaz “like, similar, same”
                • partProto-Germanic*ga- “with, together”
                  • derivedProto-Indo-European*ḱóm “with”
                  • inheritedProto-Indo-European*ḱóm “with”
                  • derivedProto-Germanic*lōfô “flat of the hand, palm”
                  • derivedProto-Indo-European*bʰew- “to grow, wax, swell”
                  • inheritedProto-Indo-European*ḱó-
                  • derivedProto-Germanic*hnaistô “spark”
                • partProto-Germanic*-līkaz
                  • derivedProto-Germanic*līką
    • inheritedMiddle Englishlik
      • inheritedOld Englishġelīċ “like, similar”
        • derivedOld Norselíkr

    Related: Saterland Frisian liekje, West Frisian lykje, Dutch lijken, Low German lieken, German gleichen, Swedish lika, Norwegian like, Faroese líka, West Frisian like, Saterland Frisian gliek, Danish lig, Dutch gelijk, German gleich, Icelandic líkur, Norwegian lik, Swedish lik

    Words built on it: such, something like that, likely

    Meanings

    verb
    1. To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.
    2. To please (same meaning as above but with subject and object reversed).
    3. To derive pleasure [with of or by or with ‘from someone or something’].
    4. To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.
    5. To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.
    6. To want, desire. See also would like.
    noun
    1. Something that a person likes (prefers).
    2. An individual vote showing support for, approval of, or enjoyment of, something posted on the Internet.
    adj
    1. Similar.
    2. Likely; probable.
    3. inclined (to), prone (to).
    adv
    1. Likely.
    2. In a like or similar manner.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: like