lich

[ lich ]

noun

, British Obsolete.

1. the body; the trunk.
2. a dead body; corpse.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lich¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English liche “body (alive or dead),” Old English līc; cognate with Dutch lijk, German Leiche, Old Norse līk, Gothic leik. See like ¹

Example Sentences

At the entrance to the graveyard is the lich-gate and mortuary, where many wrecked seamen were taken for burial.

From Project Gutenberg

Nest lich nan ne gurde hire wi na cunne gurdles : bute urh schriftes leaue.

From Project Gutenberg

She referred to the thick, solid, stone wall enclosing the grounds, and the beautiful lich-gate that stood over the entrance.

From Project Gutenberg

By a little judicious elbowing, Dorothy managed to secure a place where she had a tolerable view of the path and the lich-gate.

From Project Gutenberg

Lych is the Saxon word for a dead body, from which Lich-field, “the field of dead bodies,” is derived.

From Project Gutenberg