lycken

v.

WA infin. lekyn, licken, pres. 1 sg. licken, 2 sg. lickyns, likens, pres. ptcp. lickenand, pp. lickend, lickund, lykkynd

'to compare, resemble, make like' (Modern English liken)

Etymology

Formed within English on lyke (adj.), which is sometimes derived from ON because of the absence of palatalization of /k/, although this is explained by most authorities as a native development. OED3 notes similar formations in other Gmc languages; cp (without prefix) MDu likenen 'to resemble', MLG līkenen 'to resemble, to compare, to make equal', OSw likna 'to be like, make like' , ODan ligne (Dan ligne 'to resemble, to compare, to make equal').

PGmc Ancestor

*(ga)līka-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

líkr ‘like, alike’
(ONP glíkr (adj.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far líkur, Icel líkur, Norw lik, Dan lig, Sw lik

OE Cognate

gelīc ‘like, alike’ 

Phonological and morphological markers

[absence of palatalization of */k/] (possibly diagnostic)

Summary category

CCC2

Attestation

MED's handful of attestations begin in the 15c. and are widespread (incl. Malory). OED3 cites earlier instances in the Kentish dial of Ayenbite of Inwyt. It may be noteworthy that OED3's sense (3) 'to make like' only occurs in N texts in ME (see also Occurrences).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 438, 666, 2706 etc.

The v. occurs with the sense 'make like' at WA 4350, and TPD (4479n) note that the verse is the poet's addition, invoking the idea of man as 'imago Dei'.

Bibliography

MED līken v.(2) , OED3 liken (v.) , HTOED , HTOED , HTOED , Nielsen ligne, Hellquist likna; see further lyke (adj.).