lick

lick
{{11}}lick (n.) "an act of licking," c.1600, from LICK (Cf. lick) (v.1). Meaning "small portion" is 1814, originally Scottish; hence U.S. colloquial sense. Sense of "place where an animal goes to lick salt" is from 1747. The jazz music sense of "short figure or solo" is by 1922.
{{12}}lick (v.1) O.E. liccian "to pass the tongue over the surface, lap, lick up," from P.Gmc. *likkon (Cf. O.S. likkon, Du. likken, O.H.G. lecchon, Ger. lecken, Goth. bi-laigon), from PIE imitative base *leigh- (Cf. Skt. ledhi "he licks," Arm. lizum "I lick," Gk. leikhein "to lick," L. lingere "to lick," O.Ir. ligim "I lick," Welsh llwy "spoon"). French lécher is a Germanic loan word.
To lick (someone or something) into shape (1610s) is in reference to the supposed ways of bears:
Beres ben brought forthe al fowle and transformyd and after that by lyckyng of the fader and the moder they ben brought in to theyr kyndely shap. ["The Pylgremage of the Sowle," 1413]
{{12}}lick (v.2) "to beat," 1535, perhaps from figurative use of LICK (Cf. lick) (v.1) in the Coverdale bible that year in sense of "defeat, annihilate" (an enemy's forces) in Num. xxii:4:
Now shal this heape licke up all that is about vs, euen as an oxe licketh vp the grasse in the field.
But to lick (of) the whip "taste punishment" is attested from mid-15c.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Lick It Up — Студийный альбом Kiss Дата выпуска 18 сентября 1983 Записан июль  август 1983 …   Википедия

  • lick — [lik] vt. [ME licken < OE liccian, akin to Ger lecken < IE base * leig̑h , to lick > Gr leichein, L ligurrire, to lick, lingere, to lick up] 1. to pass the tongue over [to lick one s lips] 2. to bring into a certain condition by passing… …   English World dictionary

  • Lick It Up — Album par Kiss Sortie 18 septembre 1983 Enregistrement Juillet – Août 1983 Durée 41:27 Genre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lick It Up — (1983) album de Kiss Publicación 18 de Septiembre de 1983 Grabación Julio Agosto de 1983 en Record Plant Recordig Studios, Nue …   Wikipedia Español

  • Lick It Up — Studioalbum von Kiss Veröffentlichung 23. September 1983 Aufnahme Juli und August 1983 Label …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Lick — Lick, n. [See {Lick}, v.] 1. A stroke of the tongue in licking. A lick at the honey pot. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 2. A quick and careless application of anything, as if by a stroke of the tongue, or of something which acts like a tongue; as, to put …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lick — ► VERB 1) pass the tongue over (something), typically in order to taste, moisten, or clean it. 2) move lightly and quickly like a tongue. 3) informal defeat comprehensively. ► NOUN 1) an act of licking. 2) informal a small amount or quick… …   English terms dictionary

  • Lick — (l[i^]k), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Licked} (l[i^]kt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Licking}.] [AS. liccian; akin to OS. likk[=o]n, D. likken, OHG. lecch[=o]n, G. lecken, Goth. bi laig[=o]n, Russ. lizate, L. lingere, Gr. lei chein, Skr. lih, rih. [root]121. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lick — [n] light touch; little amount bit, brush, cast, dab, dash, hint, sample, smack, speck, stroke, suggestion, taste, tinge, trace, whiff; concepts 612,831 lick [v1] touch with tongue brush, calm, caress, fondle, glance, gloss, graze, lap, lap… …   New thesaurus

  • Lick — Lick, n. A slap; a quick stroke. [Colloq.] A lick across the face. Dryden. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Lick — Lick, v. t. [Cf. OSw. l[ a]gga to place, strike, prick.] To strike with repeated blows for punishment; to flog; to whip or conquer, as in a pugilistic encounter. [Colloq. or Low] Carlyle. Thackeray. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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