life (English)
Where does "life" come from?
The word "life" traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *leyp-, meaning "to stick" or "glue." It evolved through Proto-Germanic and Old English as terms like *lībą, which originally denoted the body as something that remains or endures, eventually shifting into the broader concept of existence we recognize today.
Full etymology tree
- life (English), 'Synonym of God's life (an oath).'
- inherited lyf (Middle English), 'life'
- inherited līf (Old English), 'life'
- inherited *līb (Proto-West Germanic), 'body'
- inherited *lībą (Proto-Germanic), 'body'
- derived *lībaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to remain, to be left'
- derived *leyp- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to stick'
- derived *(s)ley- (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *leyp- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to stick'
- derived *lībaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to remain, to be left'
- inherited *lībą (Proto-Germanic), 'body'
- inherited *līb (Proto-West Germanic), 'body'
- inherited līf (Old English), 'life'
- influence vīta (Latin), 'life'
- inherited lyf (Middle English), 'life'
Direct ancestors
- leyp- (Proto-Indo-European)
- lyf (Middle English)
- lif (Old English)
- līb (Proto-West Germanic)
- lībą (Proto-Germanic)
- leyp- (Proto-Indo-European)
- vita (Latin)
- Lieuw (Saterland Frisian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris