What does "lich" mean?

Additional senses

1. 2.A dead body; a corpse. [Obs.] Lich fowl (Zoöl.), the European goatsucker; -- called also lich owl. -- Lich gate, a covered gate through which the corpse was carried to the church or burial place, and where the bier was placed to await clergyman; a corpse gate. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. -- Lich wake, the wake, or watching, held over a corpse before burial. [Prov Eng.] Chaucer. -- Lich wall, the wall of a churchyard or burying ground. -- Lich way, the path by which the dead are carried to the grave. [Prov. Eng.]