lich

[ lich ]

/ lɪtʃ /

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noun British Obsolete.

the body; the trunk.

a dead body; corpse.

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Also lych .

Origin of lich

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 like¹

Words nearby lich

licensure, licentiate, licentious, licentiousness, licet, lich, lichee, lichen, lichenic acid, lichenification, lichenin

How to use lich in a sentence

At the entrance to the graveyard is the lich-gate and mortuary, where many wrecked seamen were taken for burial.
The Cornwall Coast|Arthur L. Salmon
Nest lich nan ne gurde hire wi na cunne gurdles : bute urh schriftes leaue.
Selections from early Middle English, 1130-1250|Various
She referred to the thick, solid, stone wall enclosing the grounds, and the beautiful lich-gate that stood over the entrance.
The House With Sixty Closets|Frank Samuel Child
By a little judicious elbowing, Dorothy managed to secure a place where she had a tolerable view of the path and the lich-gate.
A Pair of Schoolgirls|Angela Brazil

Lych is the Saxon word for a dead body, from which Lich-field, “the field of dead bodies,” is derived.
English Villages|P. H. Ditchfield