英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

Libra (n.)[Libra 词源字典]: zodiac constellation, late Old English, from Latin libra, literally "pound, balance," from Mediterranean base *lithra- "a scale." Nativized in Old Norse as skala-merki.[Libra etymology, Libra origin, 英语词源]
librarian (n.): "custodian of a library," 1713; see library + -an. Earlier form was library-keeper (1640s), and librarian was used earlier in a sense "scribe" (1660s).
library (n.): place for books, late 14c., from Anglo-French librarie, Old French librairie "collection of books" (14c.), noun use of adj. librarius "concerning books," from Latin librarium "chest for books," from liber (genitive libri) "book, paper, parchment," originally "the inner bark of trees," probably a derivative of PIE root *leub(h)- "to strip, to peel" (see leaf). The equivalent word in most Romance languages now means "bookseller's shop." Old English had bochord, literally "book hord."
libretto (n.): (plural libretti), 1742, from Italian libretto, diminutive of libro "book," from Latin liber (genitive libri), see library. Related: Librettist.
Libya: north African nation, an ancient name, attested in heiroglyphics from 2000 B.C.E., of unknown origin. In Greek use, sometimes meaning all of Africa. Related: Libyan.
licence (n.): mid-14c., "liberty (to do something), leave," from Old French licence "freedom, liberty, power, possibility; permission," (12c.), from Latin licentia "freedom, liberty, license," from licentem (nominative licens), present participle of licere "to be allowed, be lawful," from PIE root *leik- "to offer, bargain" (cognates: Lettish likstu "I come to terms"). Meaning "formal (usually written) permission from authority to do something" (marry, hunt, drive, etc.) is first attested early 15c. Meaning "excessive liberty, disregard of propriety" is from mid-15c. There have been attempts to confine license to verbal use and licence to noun use (compare advise/advice, devise/device.
licence (v.): c. 1400, "grant formal authorization," from license (n.). Related: Licenced; Licencing.
license: see licence. Related: Licensed; licensing.
licensee (n.): 1837, from license + -ee.
licensure (n.): 1808, from license + -ure.
licentious (adj.): "morally unrestrained," 1530s, from Medieval Latin licentiosus "full of license, unrestrained," from Latin licentia (see license (n.)). Related: Licentiously; licentiousness.
lich (n.): also litch, lych, "body, corpse," southern England dialectal survival of Old English lic "body, dead body, corpse," cognate with Old Frisian lik, Dutch lijk, Old High German lih, German leiche "dead body," Old Norse lik, Danish lig, Gothic leik, from Proto-Germanic *likow. Compare litch-gate "roofed gate to a churchyard under which a bier is placed to await the coming of the clergyman."
lichen (n.): c. 1600, from Latin lichen, from Greek leichen, originally "what eats around itself," probably from leichein "to lick" (see lick). Originally used of liverwort; the modern sense first recorded 1715. Related: Lichenaceous.
Lichfield: Licitfelda (c.710) "Open Land near Letocetum" (Celtic place name meaning "gray wood") + Old English feld.
licit (adj.): late 15c., from Middle French licite or directly from Latin licitus "lawful," past participle of licere "be allowed, be lawful" (see licence). Related: Licitly; licitness.
lick (v.1): Old English liccian "to pass the tongue over the surface, lap, lick up," from Proto-Germanic *likkon (cognates: Old Saxon likkon, Dutch likken, Old High German lecchon, German lecken, Gothic bi-laigon), from PIE imitative base *leigh- (cognates: Sanskrit ledhi "he licks," Armenian lizum "I lick," Greek leikhein "to lick," Latin lingere "to lick," Old Irish ligim "I lick," Welsh llwy "spoon"). French lécher is a Germanic loan word.

To lick (someone or something) into shape (1610s) is in reference to the supposed ways of bears:
Beres ben brought forthe al fowle and transformyd and after that by lyckyng of the fader and the moder they ben brought in to theyr kyndely shap. ["The Pylgremage of the Sowle," 1413]
lick (n.): "an act of licking," c. 1600, from lick (v.1). Meaning "small portion" is 1814, originally Scottish; hence U.S. colloquial sense. Sense of "place where an animal goes to lick salt" is from 1747. The jazz music sense of "short figure or solo" is by 1922.
lick (v.2): "to beat," 1535, perhaps from figurative use of lick (v.1) in the Coverdale bible that year in sense of "defeat, annihilate" (an enemy's forces) in Num. xxii:4:
Now shal this heape licke up all that is about vs, euen as an oxe licketh vp the grasse in the field.
But to lick (of) the whip "taste punishment" is attested from mid-15c.
lickerish (adj.): "fond of delicious fare," c. 1500, from Middle English likerous "pleasing to the palate" (late 13c.), from Anglo-French *likerous, Old French licherous (see lecherous). Unlike the French word, it generally kept close to its literal sense.
lickety-split (adj.): 1852, American English (earlier lickety-cut, lickety-click, and simply licketie, 1817), from lick (n.1) in dialectal sense "very fast sprint in a race" (1809) on the notion of a "lick" as a fast thing (compare blink).