likeness

B1 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˈlaɪknəs/ See IPA manual

Freq #14871

Meanings

1

noun
The quality of being similar to someone or something.

I bear no likeness to my parents at all.
2

noun
A picture or image of a person.

The artist captured a perfect likeness of the king.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the quality of being... resemblance similarity

2 noun · a picture or image of a... semblance

Word family

Forms likenesses

Derived forms mislikeness

Related forms like

Etymology

From Middle English liknesse, from Old English līcness, ġelīcnes (“the quality of being like or equal; likeness; image; copy; pattern; example; parable”), from Proto-West Germanic *galīkanassī (“likeness”), equivalent to like + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian likenis (“likeness”), Dutch gelijkenis (“similarity; likeness; parable”), German Low German Glieknis (“form; semblance; likeness; parable”), German Gleichnis (“form; semblance; image; likeness; parable; simile”). The verb is derived from the noun. Compare also Old Norse líkneskja (“figure, image, appearance, likeness”).

liknesse Middle English līcness Old English *galīkanassī Proto-West Germanic

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Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# likeness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈlaɪknəs/
**Frequency rank:** 14871

## Meanings
1. The quality of being similar to someone or something.
2. A picture or image of a person.

## Examples
- I bear no likeness to my parents at all.
- The artist captured a perfect likeness of the king.

## Synonyms
- similarity

## Derived Forms
- mislikeness

## Related Forms
- like

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: liknesse
- Root: līcness
- Root: *galīkanassī

## Etymology
From Middle English liknesse, from Old English līcness, ġelīcnes (“the quality of being like or equal; likeness; image; copy; pattern; example; parable”), from Proto-West Germanic *galīkanassī (“likeness”), equivalent to like + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian likenis (“likeness”), Dutch gelijkenis (“similarity; likeness; parable”), German Low German Glieknis (“form; semblance; likeness; parable”), German Gleichnis (“form; semblance; image; likeness; parable; simile”). The verb is derived from the noun. Compare also Old Norse líkneskja (“figure, image, appearance, likeness”).

## AI Etymology
Likeness comes from Middle English liknesse, from Old English līcness, ġelīcnes (“the quality of being like or equal; likeness; image; copy; pattern; example; parable”), from Proto-West Germanic *galīkanassī (“likeness”), equivalent to like + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian likenis (“likeness”), Dutch gelijkenis (“similarity; likeness; parable”), German Low German Glieknis (“form; semblance; likeness; parable”), German Gleichnis (“form; semblance; image; likeness; parable; simile”). The verb is derived from the noun. Compare also Old Norse líkneskja (“figure, image, appearance, likeness”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

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