The act of licking; a stroke of the tongue.
"The puppy gave the chocolate bar a quick lick before running away."
In plain English: A lick is a quick, sharp taste of something sweet or salty on your tongue.
"The dog gave its owner an affectionate lick on the cheek."
Usage: As a noun, lick refers to a single quick movement or stroke made by the tongue against something. Use this term specifically for that brief physical action rather than describing prolonged contact or other types of strokes.
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
"did you solve the problem?"
"Work out your problems with the boss"
"this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"
"did you get it?"
"Did you get my meaning?"
"He could not work the math problem"
To stroke with the tongue.
"The cat stood up and licked its paw clean after playing in the mud."
In plain English: To lick means to run your tongue over something, usually food or an object.
"The cat leaned down to lick its paw clean after playing outside."
A surname.
"Lick was born into a family with that unusual surname, and he always felt a bit self-conscious about it at school."
The word "lick" comes from the Old English liccian and ultimately traces back to a root meaning "to lick." While its journey into English is clear, how this verb evolved to include meanings related to violence remains uncertain and has no parallel in other Germanic languages.