Where does “benignly” come from?
Benignly derives from Middle English -ly applied to Old English -līċ, which traces through Latin benignus and genus back to Latin bonus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm meaning "together."
benignly (English): In a benign manner
Definitions
- In a benign manner
Ancestry of “benignly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | benignely | kindly, gently, mildly |
| 2 | Middle English | benigne | kind, gentle, mild |
| 3 | Old French | benigne | — |
| 4 | Latin | benignus | kind, good, friendly, pleasant; beneficent,... |
| 5 | Latin | genus | birth, origin, lineage, descent; kind, type,... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | genos | lineage, origin |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁os | race, lineage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |