*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ilk

Inherited from Middle English ilke, from Old English ilca, conjectured as from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”). The sense of “type”, “kind” is from the application of th

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A type, race, or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together.

adj

Very; same.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English ilke, from Old English ilca, conjectured as from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”). The sense of “type”, “kind” is from the application of the phrase of that ilk to families: the word thus came to mean family.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionilkeenm
  • Derivation mentionilcaang
  • Derivation mention*ilīkazgem-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ilke",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ilke"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ilke"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English ilke"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ilca"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ilca"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*ilīkaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ilke",
      "ilke#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ilca",
      "ilca#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*ilīkaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ilīkaz"
    ],
    [
      "*iz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/iz"
    ],
    [
      "*-līkaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-līkaz"
    ],
    [
      "*līką",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/līką"
    ],
    [
      "of that ilk",
      "of that ilk#English"
    ],
    [
      "family",
      "family#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A type, race, or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together."
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 29750
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Very; same."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "994ac4e4306d8512a6ca8aa786edfcb9a013c761886e911bb3f2fe4e6e8441b6",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9e403e99fcbd65bbfa5d023945e224bd3ae49692a1b4f83042914ff7fffd739a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 29749
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ilk →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aWxr