lich

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Lich, lích, lịch, and -lich

English

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology 1

[edit]

From Middle English lich, from Old English līċ, from Proto-West Germanic *līk, from Proto-Germanic *līką, from Proto-Indo-European *leyg-.

Cognate with Dutch lijk, German Leiche, Norwegian lik, Swedish lik, Danish lig.

Alternative forms

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

lich (plural liches or (with Scots pronunciation) lichs)

  1. (archaic, UK) A corpse or dead body. [from 9th c.]
    • 1845, Penny Magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, page 35:
      [] and that, as the chronicle states, a lich-way would be made through then, assembled his servants, and attempted to stop its progress as it was carried over a bridge. A scuffle ensued, and the body was thrown into the water. The lich-way as not made ; but the Bishop of Exeter amply revenged himself for the proceedings.
    • 1983, Poul Anderson, Time Patrolman (Sci-Fi), →ISBN:
      She saw him again that eventide, but then he was a reddened lich.
  2. (fantasy, roleplaying games) A reanimated corpse or undead being; particularly an intelligent, undead spellcaster.
    • 1974, Karl Edward Wagner, Sticks:
      It was a lich’s face – desiccated flesh tight over its skull.
Derived terms
[edit]
Translations
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Joseph Wright, editor (1902), “LICH”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: [], volume III (H–L), London: Henry Frowde, [], publisher to the English Dialect Society, []; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC.

Etymology 2

[edit]

From Middle English līke, līch (like); see like and -like for more. Compare -ly and -lich.

Adjective

[edit]

lich (comparative more lich, superlative most lich)

  1. (obsolete) Like; resembling; equal.

Middle English

[edit]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

From Old English līċ, from Proto-West Germanic *līk, from Proto-Germanic *līką, from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (alike, similar).

Noun

[edit]

lich (plural lichs)

  1. A body.

Descendants

[edit]
  • English: lich
  • Scots: lyke, lich

Polish

[edit]

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • IPA(key): /ˈlix/
  • Rhymes: -ix
  • Syllabification: lich

Noun

[edit]

lich f

  1. genitive plural of licha

Noun

[edit]

lich n

  1. genitive plural of licho

Further reading

[edit]
  • lich in Polish dictionaries at PWN