ähnlich

From Middle High German anelich, enlich (“alike”), from Old High German *analīh (attested in derivatives), a contraction of anagilīh, from Proto-Germanic *anagalīkaz, from *ana (“on”) + *galīkaz (“like”), that is “almost identical”. Compare German angleichen. Cognate with Middle Dutch aenlijck, English alike, Old Norse álíkr. The contemporary form is possibly from a merger of Middle High German anelich with East Central German einlich, but it is uncertain whether the latter is from ein (“one”) + -lich (“-ly”) or merely an alteration of the former. The form may also have been reinforced by interpretation as Ahn (“ancestor”) + -lich; this noun is not originally related, but semantically close.

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