From Old English 'gelīc' (of the same form), combining the prefix 'ge-' with 'līc' (body, form) — literally 'having the same body,' a physical metaphor generalized to any resemblance.
Having a close resemblance; similar in appearance, nature, or character
From Old English 'onlīc' or 'gelīc,' meaning 'similar, of the same form.' The word combines the prefix 'ge-' (a collective or perfective prefix common in Germanic languages) with 'līc' (body, form, appearance), which also gave English the suffix '-ly' and the word 'like.' The Old English form 'gelīc' corresponds exactly to Old High German 'gilīh' (modern German 'gleich'), Old Norse 'glíkr' (which gave English 'like' via Norse influence), and Gothic 'galeiks.' The initial unstressed prefix reduced to 'a-' in Middle English, producing the modern form 'alike.' The semantic core is 'having the same body or form' — likeness understood as physical resemblance, later abstracted