Quick Facts
- Word / Phrase
- like
- Verdict
- MYTH ❌
- Claim Type
- Folk etymology
- First Real Record
- c. 900 AD, Old English gelic
- Real Origin
- Proto‑Germanic *gelīkaz, cognate with German gleich
- Myth Spread By
- Social‑media posts, language‑blog listicles, viral trivia videos
The Claim
Across blogs, TikTok videos, and even some pop‑culture trivia books, you’ll often see the statement: “The word *like* comes from the old phrase ‘the similar.’” Proponents argue that the modern filler word is a shortened form of an archaic expression meaning ‘something that is similar.’ The claim is usually presented as a neat, intuitive story: because we use *like* to compare, it must have once meant ‘the similar.’ The myth gained traction around 2015 when a viral tweet quoted an anonymous “language historian” saying the phrase existed in Middle English and later morphed into the single word we use today. The wording is compelling because it seems to explain a ubiquitous word with a simple, logical origin.
Why It’s Wrong
1. **Documented history predates the alleged phrase.** The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) records the earliest form of *like* as Old English gelic (c. 900 AD), meaning “having the same nature, similar.” This appears in the Anglo‑Saxon Chronicle and in a 10th‑century gloss on biblical texts. The word gelic evolves into Middle English lik and lyke by the 13th century, long before any phrase resembling “the similar” is attested.
2. **No textual evidence for ‘the similar’ as a source.** A thorough search of the Middle English Corpus and the Early English Books Online database finds no instance of a fixed phrase “the similar” functioning as a noun that could be abbreviated to *like*. The phrase does appear sporadically as an adjective phrase (“the similar thing”), but it never serves as a lexical source for the word.
3. **Scholarly consensus.** Both the OED and the Online Etymology Dictionary trace *like* to Proto‑Germanic *gelīkaz*, cognate with Old High German gilīh and modern German gleich. Linguist Michael Quinion and etymologist Anatoly Liberman confirm this lineage, noting that the semantic field of “similarity” has been stable for over a millennium. No reputable etymologist has ever recorded “the similar” as a predecessor.
The Real Etymology
The word *like* descends from the Proto‑Germanic adjective *gelīkaz*, reconstructed to mean “having the same shape, similar.” This root also produced Old Norse líkr, Old High German gilīh, and Gothic galaiks. The Old English adoption *gelic* kept the same meaning and was used both as an adjective (“a gelic man”) and as a comparative particle (“gelic þǣm” – “like that”). As the language shifted to Middle English, the initial ge‑ prefix was dropped, leaving *lik* or *lyke*.
By the late Middle English period (14th–15th centuries), *like* had broadened to a preposition meaning “similar to” and a conjunction introducing comparisons (“as…like”). The modern adverbial filler sense (“I was like, ‘wow’”) only emerged in American English in the late 20th century, a completely separate semantic development unrelated to its original comparative function.
Thus, the true story of *like* is a straightforward Germanic inheritance, not a modern back‑formation from an imagined phrase. Its stability across centuries makes it a prime candidate for folk reinterpretation, but the scholarly record is clear.
Why Myths Like This Spread
Folk etymologies thrive when a word is both ubiquitous and opaque in its history. *Like* is used billions of times daily on social media, often as a filler, which makes its original meaning feel distant. The myth offers a tidy, “logical” explanation that fits the way we experience the word today. Moreover, the structure “X comes from Y” is a classic back‑formation pattern that readers find satisfying, especially when Y sounds scholarly (“the similar”).
Social platforms amplify such stories because they are short, catchy, and shareable. A single viral post can seed dozens of replicas, each stripping away citations and adding more confidence. Language‑enthusiast blogs and listicles, eager for click‑bait titles, repeat the claim without fact‑checking, further cementing it in popular consciousness.
Ultimately, myths like the “the similar” story reveal a desire to simplify language history and to impose contemporary usage onto the past. They remind us that the real etymology, though less sensational, is often a fascinating tale of linguistic continuity across centuries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it true that ‘like’ comes from the phrase ‘the similar’?
No. The claim is a modern folk etymology. The word *like* appears in Old English as *gelic* (c. 900 AD) and derives from Proto‑Germanic *gelīkaz*, long before any phrase like “the similar” existed.
Where does the word ‘like’ really come from?
*Like* descends from Proto‑Germanic *gelīkaz* meaning “similar, alike”. It entered Old English as *gelic*, became Middle English *lik/lyke*, and retained the comparative sense into modern English.
When did the ‘the similar’ myth start circulating?
The story appears to have taken off around 2015, first popping up in viral social‑media posts and language‑blog listicles that claimed the phrase existed in Middle English, but no scholarly source predates those posts.
What is a backronym?
A backronym is a phrase formed after the fact to fit an existing word, giving the illusion that the word is an acronym. The ‘the similar’ story is a back‑formation, not a genuine etymology.
What are other famous word‑origin myths?
Well‑known examples include the GOLF backronym “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden,” the belief that “posh” stands for “Port Out, Starboard Home,” and that “golf” is an acronym for “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.” All are false.
Why do people believe false etymologies?
False etymologies are memorable, fit our intuitions, and often spread through social media and popular writing without fact‑checking. They satisfy a desire for tidy explanations of everyday language.
Has the meaning of ‘like’ changed over time?
Yes. Originally an adjective and comparative particle meaning ‘similar’, *like* later became a preposition and conjunction. The modern filler use (“I was like…”) emerged only in late‑20th‑century American English.