livelihood
UK[ˈlaɪvlihʊd]US[ˈlaɪvlihʊd]
n
A means of securing the necessities of life; a person's job or other source of income.
Morpheme Breakdown
lively
hood
lively
adj. suffix
hood
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'livelihood' has a transparent yet slightly deceptive history. It originated in Middle English as 'livelode', from Old English 'līflād', where 'līf' meant 'life' and 'lād' meant 'course' or 'way', thus literally meaning "the course of one's life" or "way of life." Over time, the second element was influenced by and eventually replaced by the unrelated suffix '-hood' (meaning state or condition), due to its phonetic similarity and association with abstract nouns. This shift solidified the modern meaning, focusing on the condition or means of securing life's necessities, rather than the literal journey. Consequently, 'livelihood' now specifically denotes the economic foundation that sustains one's existence.
Analysis
Structure: lively (adj. suffix) + hood (noun suffix)
- lively: From Middle English 'lively' (in the sense 'pertaining to life'), from Old English 'līflīc' (life-like, living). The root 'life' is of Germanic origin, from Proto-Germanic lībą.
- hood: A noun-forming suffix from Old English '-hād', denoting state, condition, quality, or character.
Examples
Fishing is the primary livelihood for most families in the coastal village.
The new factory provided a stable livelihood for hundreds of workers.
She pursued art not just as a hobby but as her main livelihood.