An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/bleiben

by Friedrich Kluge

bleiben, verb, ‘to remain, continue,’ from the equivalent Middle High German blîben, Old High German bilîban; compare the corresponding Anglo-Saxon belîfan, Gothic bileiban, ‘to remain’ (the factitive of which is bilaibjan, ‘to cause to remain, leave over’; Anglo-Saxon lœ̂fan, English to leave). It is allied neither to Latin linquo nor to Greek λείπω, to which leihen is more akin; bilîbo, ‘I remain,’ must be based on pre-Teutonic lîpô (Sanscrit root lip, ‘to adhere’); Greek λιπαρὸς, ‘greasy, shining,’ λίπος, neuter, ‘fat,’ λιπαρέω, ‘I persist,’ comes nearest to the meaning of the Teutonic verb; compare Old Slovenian lipnąli, Lithuanian lipti, ‘to adhere, remain.’ With the former meaning, ‘to adhere,’ Modern High German Leber is connected, and with the latter, ‘to persist, abide,’ the Modern High German Leib and Leben. See the separate words.