English
lig
Lig comes from Old English liċġan ‘to lie, be situated, be at rest, remain’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-‘to lie’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*liggjan‘to lie, rest’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150liċġan‘to lie, be situated, be at rest, remain’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500liggen
- Englishearliest quotation 1596lig
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-‘to lie’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*liggjan‘to lie, rest’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150liċġan‘to lie, be situated, be at rest, remain’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500liggen
- Englishearliest quotation 1596lig
Earliest quotation: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book VI, Canto IV: “His limbes would rest, ne lig in ease embost”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, college, legal, fellow, lawyer, lay, layer, legacy, log, loyal, colleague, delegation, delegate, lex, collegiate, ledge, litter, lawless, lair, lees, legate, leaguer, leal, collegium, underlay, lagan, lias, 22 more
through Old English liċġan ‘to lie, be situated, be at rest, remain’
Today it means
verb To lie; be in a prostrate or recumbent position.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- / lig