Where does “achterlijk” come from?

achterlijk (Dutch) comes from Dutch achter, from Middle Dutch achter, from Old Dutch after, from Proto-West Germanic *aftar, from Proto-Germanic after, from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoteros — further behind, further away.

achterlijk (Dutch): backwards, idiotic, stupid, moronic

Definitions

  1. backwards, idiotic, stupid, moronic

Ancestry of “achterlijk”, step by step

achterlijk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch achter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchachterbehind; beyond
2Middle Dutchachterbehind; through, past; after
3Old Dutchafter
4Proto-West Germanic*aftarafter, behind
5Proto-Germanicafterafter, behind
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂epoterosfurther behind, further away

via Dutch lijk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1DutchlijkThe dead but otherwise intact body of a human or...
2Middle Dutchlijc
3Old Dutchlīk
4Proto-West Germaniclīkbody
5Proto-Germaniclīkąbody; corpse, dead body; leech-line, bolt-rope
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleyǵ-to bind, tie

Words derived from “achterlijk

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂epoterosEvery word from Proto-Germanic afterEvery word from Proto-West Germanic *aftar
achterlijk — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer