Definition of the word liken to

The phrase "liken to" is a figure of speech called a comparative construction, which is used to draw a comparison between two things. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the origin of the phrase can be traced back to Middle English. In Middle English, the preposition "liken" meant "to please" or "to agree." It came from the Old English word "lician," which meant the same. Over time, the meaning of the word evolved, and by the 14th century, it began to be used as a preposition to express likeness or similarity. In its earliest forms, the comparative construction was much more straightforward. It involved using the verb "to be" in the comparative form, followed by the preposition "as" or "like." For example, "he is as wise as I am" or "she is like a bird in flight." However, over time, the preposition "as" began to fall out of favor, and "like" became the preferred comparative word. Eventually, the comparative construction became so common that a new preposition, "to," was added to create the current form "liken to," which is used to indicate a close resemblance or similarity between two things. So, whether you're comparing apples to oranges, people to animals, or ideas to concepts, the phrase "liken to" helps us to draw important connections between things, making our communication more vivid and effective.