Where does “aanvankelijk” come from?

aanvankelijk (Dutch) comes from German anfänglich, from German -lich, from Middle High German -lich, from Old High German -līh, from Proto-Germanic *-līk.

aanvankelijk (Dutch): initially, at first; initial

Definitions

  1. initially, at first; initial

Ancestry of “aanvankelijk”, step by step

aanvankelijk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German anfänglich

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germananfänglichinitial
2German-lichan adjectival suffix; an adverbial suffix
3Middle High German-lich-ly
4Old High German-līh—
5Proto-Germanic*-līk—

via Dutch aanvang

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchaanvangcommencement, inception, beginning
2Middle Dutchaenvanc—
Every word from Proto-Germanic *-līk →Every word from German -lich →Every word from Middle High German -lich →