Where does “balefully” come from?
balefully (English) comes from Middle English balfulli, from Middle English baleful, from Old English bealuful, from Old English -ful, from Proto-Germanic -fullaz, from Proto-Germanic fullaz, from Proto-Indo-European pl̥h₁nós, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.
balefully (English): In a baleful, ominous manner
Definitions
- In a baleful, ominous manner
Ancestry of “balefully”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | balfulli | terribly, horribly, ruinously; worthlessly,... |
| 2 | Middle English | baleful | evil, horrible, malicious; dangerous, harmful,... |
| 3 | Old English | bealuful | baleful |
| 4 | Old English | -ful | full of; -ful |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -fullaz | -ful |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fullaz | full; the whole, the entire |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pl̥h₁nós | full |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁- | to fill |