gelic

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *galīk. Equivalent to ġe- +‎ līċ. Cognate with Old Frisian gelīk, Old Saxon gilīk, Old Norse glíkr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jeˈliːt͡ʃ/

Adjective

ġelīċ (comparative ġelīcra, superlative ġelīċust or ġelīċost or ġelīċast or ġelīċest)

1. like, similar; the same (meaning 'alike', not 'identical'), equal

   Handa and fēt bēoþ ġelīc.

   Hands and feet are similar.

   Hīe wǣron ġelīcran wildrum þonne mannum.

   They were more like wild animals than people.

   Fela sind weorolda, ac hīe ealla dǣlaþ ġelīcne heofon. Ān heofon, ān wyrd.

   There are many worlds, but they all share the same sky—one sky, one destiny.

   • Life of St. Guthlac

     Sē līchama wæs slǣpendum menn ġelīcra þonne dēadum.

     The body looked more like a sleeping person than a dead one.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Greater Litany"

     Būtan þām ǣhtum, ġelīċe sind þā þe biddaþ and þā þe hīe æt biddaþ.

     Apart from possessions, those who beg are the same as those they beg from.

   • c. 893, King Alfred, Doom Book

     Ġeō wǣron manigu wītu māran þonne ōðru. Nū sind eall ġelīc.

     Before, many fines were greater than others. Now they are all equal.

   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy

     Ealle menn hæfdon ġelīcne fruman, for þon hīe ealle cōmon of ānum fæder and of ānre mēder, and ealle hīe bēoþ ġīet ġelīċe ācennede.

     Everyone had the same origin, because we all came from one father and one mother, and to this day, all of us are still born equal.

Usage notes

• When saying that something is like (i.e. similar or alike to) something else, the thing that it is being compared to is put in the dative case, and usually precedes the word ġelīċ: Iċ neom nāteshwōn mīnum ġesweostrum ġelīċ ("I am not at all like my sisters"). However, when two or more things are said to be alike to each other (i.e. with equal weight given to each thing being compared), the nominative case is used for each: Sē wer and his frēond wǣron geliċe ("The man and his friend were alike").

Declension

Declension of ġelīċ — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ġelīċ	ġelīċ, ġelīċu, ġelīċo	ġelīċ
Accusative	ġelīcne	ġelīċe	ġelīċ
Genitive	ġelīċes	ġelīcre	ġelīċes
Dative	ġelīċum	ġelīcre	ġelīċum
Instrumental	ġelīċe	ġelīcre	ġelīċe
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ġelīċe	ġelīċa, ġelīċe	ġelīċ, ġelīċu, ġelīċo
Accusative	ġelīċe	ġelīċa, ġelīċe	ġelīċ, ġelīċu, ġelīċo
Genitive	ġelīcra	ġelīcra	ġelīcra
Dative	ġelīċum	ġelīċum	ġelīċum
Instrumental	ġelīċum	ġelīċum	ġelīċum

Declension of ġelīċ — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ġelīċa	ġelīċe	ġelīċe
Accusative	ġelīċan	ġelīċan	ġelīċe
Genitive	ġelīċan	ġelīċan	ġelīċan
Dative	ġelīċan	ġelīċan	ġelīċan
Instrumental	ġelīċan	ġelīċan	ġelīċan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	ġelīċan	ġelīċan	ġelīċan
Accusative	ġelīċan	ġelīċan	ġelīċan
Genitive	ġelīcra, ġelīċena	ġelīcra, ġelīċena	ġelīcra, ġelīċena
Dative	ġelīċum	ġelīċum	ġelīċum
Instrumental	ġelīċum	ġelīċum	ġelīċum

Derived terms

• ġelīca
• ġelīċe
• ġelīcian
• unġelīċ

Related terms

• līċ

Descendants

• Middle English: ylich, ylych, ilich, ilych, ylik, ylyk, ilik, ilyk, iliche, ileche, ilic, ȝelic, ȝelich, gelic, ylijk, illike, ilek
  • English: alike
  • Scots: ylike, ylyke, elike, elyke