lith
A limb; any member of the bodyA limb; any member of the body.
Meaning
6 senses(UK, dialectal)A limb; any member of the body.
(UK, dialectal)A joint; a segment or symmetrical part or division.
lith and limb; out of lith
(Scotland)A segment of an orange, or similar fruit.
(uncountable)Property.
(UK, dialectal)A gate; a gap in a fence.
(informal)Coccolith
Origin
From Middle English lith, lyth, from Old English liþ (“limb, member, joint, tip of finger,From Middle English lith, lyth, from Old English liþ (“limb, member, joint, tip of finger, point”), from Proto-Germanic *liþuz (“limb”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots lith (“part of the body, joint”), West Frisian lid (“part of the body, member”), Dutch lid (“limb, member, section”), Middle High German lit (“limb, member”), Swedish led (“joint, link, channel”), Icelandic liður (“item”), Dutch lid (“part of the body; member”) and gelid (“joint, rank, file”), German Glied (“limb, member, link”).
From Middle English lith, lyth (“owndom”), from Old Norse lýðr (“people, lede”), from Proto-Germanic *liudiz (“men, people”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- (“man, people”). Cognate with Dutch lieden and lui, German Leute (“people”), Old English lēode (“people”). More at lede.
From Middle English *lith, from Old Norse hlið (“a gap, gate, space”), from Proto-Germanic *hlidą (“door, lid, eyelid”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to conceal, hide”). Cognate with dialectal Norwegian lid, led (“an opening in a fence”), Scots lith (“a gap in a fence, gate opening”), Old English hlid (“lid, covering, door, gate, opening”). More at lid.
By shortening.
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