líkligr

Forms

líkligr adj^[1] Older glíkligr, kept by the early poets and in Morkinskinna.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Old Norse líkr (“like, likely”) + -ligr.^[2][3] Beside it stands the older glíkligr, formed from glíkr, which kept the prefix Proto-Germanic *ga-.^[2][4] The adjective corresponds to Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 (galeiks), Old English ġelīc and Old High German gilīh.^[5][6] De Vries derives the Norse adjective from either Proto-Germanic *galīkaz or a form without the prefix.^[7] Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon doubts that the prefixed form is the older one, since the stem means the same without it.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Menota's earliest record is the superlative liclegſtan in AM 619 4to, of 1200–1225.^[8] DG 8 II, of 1225–1250, has liclect and liclegazt.^[9]

Semantic evolution

Fritzner and Zoëga give two senses: “probable, to be expected”, as in sem líkligt var “as was to be expected”, and with til of a person or thing from which something can be expected, and “suitable, preferable”.^[10][1] ONP's genre table finds it most often in the historical works and the family sagas.^[11] It continues as Icelandic líklegur.^[12]

Timeline

• 1200–1225 – liclegſtan in AM 619 4to.^[8]
• 1225–1250 – liclect, liclegazt in DG 8 II.^[9]
• 1270–1290 – líkligr, líkligt in AM 519 a 4to.^[13]

Meanings

Adjective

1. likely, probable, to be expected.^[1][10][14]
2. (with til) promising, from whom or which something can be expected.^[10][2]
3. suitable, preferable.^[1]

Word family

• úlíkligr
• alllíkligr
• jafnlíkligr

Descendants

• Icelandic líklegur^[12]

Related words

• líkr
• líkindi

References

1. ^ a b c d Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. s.v. líkligr
2. ^ a b c d Cleasby, Richard; Vigfússon, Guðbrandur (1874), An Icelandic-English Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 204
3. ^ Hægstad, Marius; Torp, Alf (1909), Gamalnorsk ordbok med nynorsk tyding, Kristiania: Det norske samlaget, p. 258
4. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
5. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 174
6. ^ a b Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon (1989), Íslensk orðsifjabók, Reykjavík: Orðabók Háskólans, ordsifjabok.arnastofnun.is, p. s.v. líkur
7. ^ de Vries, Jan (1977), Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 2nd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 356
8. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 619 4to
9. ^ a b Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. DG 8 II
10. ^ a b c Fritzner, Johan (1886–1896), Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog, 2nd ed., Kristiania, p. s.v. líkligr
11. ^ Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog / A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose, Copenhagen, onp.ku.dk (CC BY-SA 4.0), p. s.v. glíkligr
12. ^ a b Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog / A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose, Copenhagen, onp.ku.dk (CC BY-SA 4.0), p. s.v. líkligr
13. ^ Menota: Medieval Nordic Text Archive, menota.org (texts by shelfmark; CC BY-SA 4.0), p. AM 519 a 4to
14. ^ Faulkes, Anthony (2011), A New Introduction to Old Norse III: Glossary and Index of Names, 4th ed., London: Viking Society for Northern Research, p. s.v. líkligr