liken
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From Middle English liknen (“to be comparable; to compare (often disparagingly); to make (someone) equal to another person; to regard (something) as equal to another thing; to regard (something) as likely; to resemble; to take (something) as a substitute; to apply, be adapted or suitable; to tend (to sin)”) [and other forms], from liken (“to be comparable; to compare; to be appropriate; to form”), from lik (“alike, analogous, similar; appropriate, suitable; equal; homogeneous; identical, the same; indicative; likely (to be or do something), probable; possible; simultaneous; more or most like (?)”) + -en (suffix forming infinitives of verbs). Lik is derived from Old English ġelīċ (“like, similar”), from Proto-Germanic *galīkaz (“like, similar; equal”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“like, similar; even, level”). The English word is analysable as like (adjective) + -en (suffix forming verbs with the sense ‘to make [adjective]’).
Base: like
Affixes: -en
Inflected forms:
form: likens
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: likening
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: likened
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: likened
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: liken
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: liken
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: likened
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: liken
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: likenest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: likened
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: likenedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: likens
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: likeneth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: likened
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: liken
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: likened
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: liken
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: likened
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: liken
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: likening
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: likened
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
Senses:
gloss: Followed by to or (archaic) unto: to regard or state that (someone or something) is like another person or thing; to compare.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The physics teacher likened the effect of mass on space to an indentation in a sheet of rubber.
And vvell may the preacher and plovvman be likened together: Firſt, for their labour in all ſeaſons of the year; for there is no time of the year in vvhich the ploughman hath not ſome ſpecial vvork to do. […] And then they alſo may be likened together for the diverſity of vvorks, and variety of offices that they have to do.
In this ſaing S. Auguſtin likeneth the ſacramentes of the olde lavve in reſpect of the ſacramentes of the nevve lavve vnto childrens games, and our ſacramentes he likeneth to the thinges of more profett, vvhich are to be geuen to the ſonnes of God, vvhen they vvaxe of more age, knovvledge, and ripeneſſe.
Me thinkes therefore, that of all of the Græcian Captaines I can liken none ſo vvell vnto him, as Eumenes the Cardian.
[T]he Prince broke thy head for lik'ning him to a ſinging man of VVindſor; […]
He merited not the Abaſement; vve vvere vvorthy the Damnation. Ah, ah my good Sauiour! A Nethermoſt depth cannot ſincke me lovv enough, ſince thou ſtoop'ſt to a Footſtoole. Thou likenedſt thee to me, I vvill compare me to Nothing: […]
[T]he Rebel King / Doubl'd that ſin in Bethel and in Dan, / Lik'ning his Maker to the Grazed Ox, […]
You vvill then be every one's favourite: and every good ſervant, for the future, vvill be proud to be liken'd to honeſt Joſeph Leman.
That our VVork, therefore, might be in no Danger of being likened to the Labours of theſe Hiſtorians, vve have taken every Occaſion of interſperſing through the vvhole ſundry Similes, Deſcriptions, and other kind of poetical Embelliſhments.
Why dost thou turn so pale? Not Conscience' self, / Far less a shadow which thou likenest to it, / Should shake the firm spirit thus.
In the name of all the devils, Roderique, of what art thou thinking, that thou likenest this knave to a young noble?
And the tufted isles which thou likenedst to the isles that rise from the face of some still gleaming lake—these are the peaks of the northern hills and the tops of the mountain ranges of the north, standing above the suspended steam of their host.
Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion."
gloss: Chiefly followed by to: to make (oneself, someone, or something) resemble another person or thing.
pos: verb
tags: also
rare
reflexive
transitive
examples: Speech is reason's brother, and a kingly prerogative of man, / That likeneth him to his Maker, who spake, and it was done.
gloss: To represent or symbolize (something).
pos: verb
tags: rare
transitive
gloss: Followed by to: to be like or resemble; also, to become like.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
obsolete
Derived words: disliken
likenable
likener
likening
unliken
unlikenable
unlikening
Translations: