From Old English 'lifer,' possibly from PIE *leyp- (to be fat) — or linked to 'live,' reflecting the belief it was life's seat.
A large lobed organ in the abdomen that performs numerous metabolic functions including detoxification, protein synthesis, and bile production.
From Old English 'lifer,' from Proto-Germanic *librō, cognate with Old High German 'lebara,' Old Norse 'lifr,' Dutch 'lever,' and German 'Leber.' The ultimate origin is debated. One prominent theory connects it to PIE *leyp- (to smear, to be sticky, fat), referring to the organ's fatty, glistening appearance. Another links it to the root of 'live' (*leyb-, to live), reflecting the ancient belief that the liver was the seat
The ancient Babylonians and Etruscans practiced hepatoscopy — divination by reading the liver of a sacrificed animal. They believed the liver was the seat of the soul and the source of blood, making it a map of divine will. The connection between the liver and life may be embedded in the very etymology of the English word, if it does derive from the root meaning 'to live.'