English
lien
Lien comes from Middle French lien ‘tie’, from Latin ligāmen ‘bond’, and ultimately from ligō ‘tie, bind’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligō‘tie, bind’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEligāmen‘bond’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600lien‘tie’
- Englishearliest quotation 1989same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligō‘tie, bind’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEligāmen‘bond’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600lien‘tie’
- Englishearliest quotation 1989same form
Earliest quotation: 1989, Greil Marcus, Lipstick Traces: “[…] every youth movement presents itself as loan to…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- ‘to bind’
through Latin ligō ‘tie, bind’
league, religious, religion, ally, alloy, liable, liaison, ligament, ligand, ligature, religiosity, obligate, ligation, legato, liaise, 14 more
Today it means
noun tendon
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin ligō / lien