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Webster 1913 Edition

Lick

Lick

(lĭk)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Licked
(lĭkt)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Licking
.]
[AS.
liccian
; akin to OS.
likkōn
, D.
likken
, OHG.
lecchōn
, G.
lecken
, Goth.
bi-laigōn
, Russ.
lizate
, L.
lingere
, Gr.
λείχειν
, Skr.
lih
,
rih
. √121. Cf.
Lecher
,
Relish
.]
1.
To draw or pass the tongue over;
as, a dog
licks
his master’s hand
.
Addison.
2.
To lap; to take in with the tongue;
as, a dog or cat
licks
milk
.
Shak.
To lick the dust
,
to be slain; to fall in battle.
“His enemies shall lick the dust.”
Ps. lxxii. 9.
–
To lick into shape
,
to give proper form to; – from a notion that the bear's cubs are born shapeless and subsequently formed by licking.
Hudibras.
–
To lick the spittle of
,
to fawn upon.
South.
–
To lick up
,
to take all of by licking; to devour; to consume entirely.
Shak.
Num. xxii. 4.

Lick

,
Noun.
[See
Lick
,
Verb.
]
1.
A stroke of the tongue in licking.
“A lick at the honey pot.”
Dryden.
2.
A quick and careless application of anything, as if by a stroke of the tongue, or of something which acts like a tongue;
as, to put on colors with a
lick
of the brush
. Also, a small quantity of any substance so applied.
[Colloq.]
A
lick
of court whitewash.
Gray.
3.
A place where salt is found on the surface of the earth, to which wild animals resort to lick it up; – often, but not always, near salt springs. Called also
salt lick
.
[U. S.]

Lick

,
Verb.
T.
[Cf. OSw.
lägga
to place, strike, prick.]
To strike with repeated blows for punishment; to flog; to whip or conquer, as in a pugilistic encounter.
[Colloq. or Low]
Carlyle.
Thackeray.

Lick

,
Noun.
A slap; a quick stroke.
[Colloq.]
“A lick across the face.”
Dryden.

Webster 1828 Edition

Lick

LICK

,
Verb.
T.
[L. lingo; Gr. See Like and Sleek.]
1.
To pass or draw the tongue over the surface; as, a dog licks a wound.
2.
To lap; to take in by the tongue; as, a dog or cat licks milk. 1Kings 21.
To lick up, to devour; to consume entirely.
Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as an ox licketh up the grass of the field. Numbers 22.
To lick the dust, to be slain; to perish in battle.
His enemies shall lick the dust. Ps. 72.

LICK

,
Noun.
In America, a place where beasts of the forest lick for salt, at salt springs.

LICK

, n.
1.
A blow; a stroke. [Not an elegant word.]
2.
A wash; something rubbed on. [Not in use.]

LICK

,
Verb.
T.
To strike repeatedly for punishment; to flog; to chastise with blows. [Not an elegant word; but probably flog, L. fligo, is from the root of this word.]

Definition 2024

lick

lick

English

Noun

Yellow River in rural Indiana, USA - example of a lick.

lick ‎(plural licks)

  1. The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue.
    The cat gave its fur a lick.
  2. The amount of some substance obtainable with a single lick.
    Give me a lick of ice cream.
  3. A quick and careless application of anything, as if by a stroke of the tongue, or of something which acts like a tongue.
    a lick of paint; to put on colours with a lick of the brush
    • Gray
      a lick of court white wash
  4. A place where animals lick minerals from the ground.
    The birds gathered at the clay lick.
  5. A small watercourse or ephemeral stream. It ranks between a rill and a stream.
    We used to play in the lick.
  6. (colloquial) A stroke or blow.
    Hit that wedge a good lick with the sledgehammer.
  7. (colloquial) A bit.
    You don't have a lick of sense.
    I didn't do a lick of work today.
  8. (music) A short motif.
    There are some really good blues licks in this solo.
  9. Speed. (Always qualified by good, fair, or a similar adjective.)
    The bus was travelling at a good lick when it swerved and left the road.

Synonyms

  • (bit): see also Wikisaurus:modicum.

Translations

Verb

lick ‎(third-person singular simple present licks, present participle licking, simple past and past participle licked)

  1. To stroke with the tongue.
    The cat licked its fur.
  2. (colloquial) To defeat decisively, particularly in a fight.
    My dad can lick your dad.
  3. (colloquial) To overcome.
    I think I can lick this.
  4. (vulgar, slang) To perform cunnilingus.
  5. (colloquial) To do anything partially.
  6. (of flame, waves etc.) To lap
    • 1895, H. G. Wells, The Time Machine Chapter XI
      Now, in this decadent age the art of fire-making had been altogether forgotten on the earth. The red tongues that went licking up my heap of wood were an altogether new and strange thing to Weena.
  7. To lap; to take in with the tongue.
    A cat licks milk.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology

From Middle English likken, from Old English liccian, from Proto-Germanic *likkōną (compare Saterland Frisian likje, Dutch likken, German lecken), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵʰ- (compare Old Irish ligid, Latin lingō ‎(“lick”), ligguriō ‎(“to lap, lick up”), Lithuanian laižyti, Old Church Slavonic лизати ‎(lizati), Ancient Greek λείχω ‎(leíkhō), Old Armenian լիզեմ ‎(lizem), Persian لیسیدن ‎(lisidan), Sanskrit लेढि ‎(léḍhi), रेढि ‎(réḍhi)).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /lɪk/
  • Rhymes: -ɪk

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