Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “basically” come from?

Basically derives from English basic, ultimately from Latin basis meaning "foundation" or "base."

basically (English): in a fundamental, essential or basic manner;...

Definitions

  1. in a fundamental, essential or basic manner;...

Ancestry of “basically”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBasic—
2English-icUsed to form adjectives from nouns with the...
3EnglishimageAn optical or other representation of a real...
4Frenchimagepicture, image; frame; first-person singular...
5Portugueseimagemimage; picture; figure; image; image; face
6Spanishimagenimage
7Italianimmagineimage; imago
8Latinimāginem—
9Latinim-Alternative form of in-; form of "in"; in
10Latinīn-—
11Latinîn—
12Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
13Proto-Italicenin
14Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →