An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/gleich

by Friedrich Kluge

gleich, adj., ‘like, similar, equal, direct,’ from the equiv. MidHG. gelîch, OHG. gilîh(hh); common to Teut. in the same sense; comp. Goth. galeiks, OIc. glíkr, AS. gelîc, E. like, Du. gelijk, OSax. gilîk. This specifically Teut. adj. is compounded of the particle ge-, Goth. ga-, and a subst. lîka-, ‘body,’ whose cognates are discussed under Leiche; the compound meant lit. ‘having a symmetrical body.’ The word lîk, ModHG. -lich, as the second component, is always used in the same sense; e.g., weiblich, lit. ‘having a woman's body’ (it is preserved also in the prons. welcher, solcher, lit. ‘having what kind of body? having a body of that kind’; yet see these words). —