alike

English Online Dictionary. What means alike‎? What does alike mean?

English

Etymology

The adjective comes from a conflation of several different terms:

• Middle English alich, alych, alyke, a Late Middle English development from earlier Middle English anlich, anlyke, from Old English onlīċ, anlīċ. Compare German ähnlich.
• The borrowed Old Norse cognate of the same word, álíkr, ultimately yielding similar Late Middle English forms.
• Middle English ylich, ylych, ilich, ylik, ylike, ȝelic, from Old English ġelīċ (“like; alike; similar; equal”), from Proto-West Germanic *galīk, from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“alike, similar”). Cognate with Scots elyke, alyke (“like, alike”), Saterland Frisian gliek (“like, alike”), West Frisian lyk, gelyk (“like, alike”), Dutch gelijk (“like, alike”), German Low German liek, gliek (“like, alike”), German gleich (“equal, like”), Danish lig (“alike”), Swedish lik (“like, similar”), Norwegian lik (“like, alike”), Icelandic líkur (“alike, like, similar”). Equivalent to a- (Etymology 3) +‎ like. Compare also West Frisian allyk (“all the same, alike”).

Similarly, the adverb also comes from a conflation of several different terms:

• Middle English aliche, alyche, alyke, a Late Middle English development from earlier Middle English anliche, anlyke, from Old English onlīċe, anlīċe.
• Additionally Middle English oliche, olike, ultimately from the Old Norse cognate of the same word, álíka.
• Middle English yliche, ylyche, iliche, ylike, ȝelice, from Old English ġelīċe (“alike, similarly”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /əˈlaɪk/
• Rhymes: -aɪk

Adjective

alike (comparative more alike, superlative most alike)

1. Having resemblance or similitude; similar; without difference.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

alike (comparative more alike, superlative most alike)

1. In the same manner, form, or degree; in common; equally.

Derived terms

• share and share alike

Translations

Anagrams

• Kalie, alkie

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English ylike, from Old English ġelīc, from Proto-West Germanic *galīk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈliːk/

Adverb

alike

1. alike

Related terms

• lick

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 114