Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "life" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic lībą, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "life" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic lībą, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).
Life’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: lībą meant “life, body.” Related to 'live' and to 'leave', in the sense of remaining. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as līf. German 'Leib' kept the sense 'body'. It reached English by 1500s as life. 'lifestyle' was coined by the psychologist Alfred Adler in 1929. Today, life means the condition that distinguishes living things.
- Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient lībą "life, body", related to 'live' and to 'leave', in the sense of remaining.
- Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s līf "life", German 'Leib' kept the sense 'body'.
- Stage 3 · English · 1500s life "life", 'lifestyle' was coined by the psychologist Alfred Adler in 1929.