Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
adv
Likely, probably, perhaps, haply.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Northern-England, archaic, dialectal, especially, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An object of affection or liking.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To make like; simulate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To be like; resemble.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To be pleasing to; please.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: impersonal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To like; be pleased with.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adverb
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: probably, likely, in all likelihood, in all probability
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epider. Proto-Indo-European *h1pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Middle English bi- English be- English like English belike From be- + like.
From Middle English beliken (“to simulate, feign”), equivalent to be- + like.
